Paying the bill
Your editorial concerning the electricity bill at my official residence (“Saying one thing, doing another,” Sept. 14, page 8) contains misleading statements, about which I offer the following clarifications:
The Government Information Office (GIO) immediately arranged for Taiwan Power Co to investigate and test the electrical system at my residence. The inspectors discovered that various items were indeed very inefficient in their operation, including two large electrical transformers installed in 1991 and a 151.4 liter hot water heater installed in 2006. Steps have already been taken to rectify these problems.
The electricity bill issue indicates that the GIO has room for improvement regarding routine maintenance and management of electrical equipment. To that end, I have asked my colleagues to give more attention to this longstanding problem and implement various measures, including the immediate testing of energy consumption levels for all GIO equipment and periodic monitoring thereafter, to ensure the highest possible level of energy efficiency.
To facilitate further inspections and improvements at the official residence and minimize the cost to the public purse, I plan to move to a private residence in the middle of next month, where I will bear the full burden of rental and other costs. I will not be reapplying for an official residence
PHILIP YANG
Government Information Office minister
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