With electricity prices set to rise, universities are looking at paying tens of millions of dollars more for electricity and are calling on the Ministry of Education to negotiate a better deal for them.
National Taiwan University (NTU) said it spent NT$410 million (US$13.8 million) last year on electricity alone and that since it signed on with Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) as a large-quantity user, it would see a bill as high as NT$545 million following the hike in electricity prices.
Several universities have already adopted plans to reduce energy costs, but administrators fear that such efforts could be undermined by the latest rate increase.
National Taiwan University’s primary secretary, Chang Pei-zen (張培仁), said that in the face of the electricity price increases, the institution plans to install more energy-efficient lights, gradually replace energy-intensive equipment, install warning systems for electricity use spikages and ban the use of air conditioners if room temperatures are lower than 28°C.
The school’s administration says raising tuition fees — within an acceptable range — to address its financial difficulties is also a possibility, Chang said.
National Cheng Kung University said it expected a 20 percent, or about NT$50 million, increase in its electricity bill from last year’s, which was NT$180 million.
Although its energy conservation efforts resulted in an NT$8 million decrease in its electricity bill last year, the newly announced rate increase would hurt its finances, the school said.
“We urge the ministry to allocate subsidies or negotiate with Taipower or the Ministry of Economic Affairs to either not raise electricity prices for universities or provide some discount,” National Cheng Kung University said.
Huang Ching-tung (黃慶東), dean of National Taiwan University of Science and Technology’s general affairs office, said the school’s annual electricity bill was about NT$7 million, adding that based on prices quoted by the media, it would probably see a NT$1.7 million to NT$2 million increase in its annual electricity bill.
Huang said the school had already implemented measures to cut back on electricity usage.
“We use only every other street light and dim one light in the halls for every three lit. And air conditioners are turned off once the room temperature is less than 25°C,” Huang said.
However, with the rate hike, Huang said the university would be forced to tighten its belt as well as adjust the rates for student dormitory “air conditioner cash cards.”
National Taipei University of Technology general affairs office dean Duann Yeh-fang (段葉芳) said every year was hard, but the universities still had to make do.
“We cannot just leave out a chunk of the students’ education,” Duann said.
Despite promoting energy-friendly policies, its annual electricity bill was NT$6 million and would go up NT$1 million after the price hike, the school said.
“We hope electricity prices for educational units can be given discounted and flexible rates, since lights and research equipment have to be supplied,” the school said.
Da Yeh University plans to help students save money by planning more public transport on campus, calling for all buses within a 5km radius from the university gates to be free, setting up more bus stops and having buses running every 30 minutes.
Shih Hsin University dean Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘) also called on the education ministry to approach Taipower on behalf of the universities to seek a discount.
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai