China orders hotels to turn down air-conditioners

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has ordered hotels in the capital to keep rooms no cooler than 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) in summer and no warmer than 20 degrees in the winter in a bid to save energy, state media said on Friday.

Beijing Vice-Mayor Ding Xiangyang said the orders had to be obeyed, unlike previous schemes in which hotels were gently urged to save fuel.

"Enforcement officials will be sent around to make sure these measures have been implemented," he told a news conference on Thursday.

Hotels that have service contracts with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympics were told to clean their air-conditioning and ventilation systems before the end of the year.

"This is to ensure the health of visitors and spectators during the 2008 Summer Olympics," Du Jiang, head of the Beijing tourism administration, was quoted as saying.

Beijing's consumption of power is increasing every year, placing a heavy burden on the electricity grid. The hotel industry is one of the major consumers of electricity in the city, using one fifth of the total power consumed by the service sector.

All hotels with Olympics contracts were urged to meet state standards for "green hotels" before the end of this year.

"The standards require hotels to use water-saving equipment, install power-saving light bulbs and wash their linen less frequently," the China Daily said.

"By the end of last year, only 192 hotels, including some non-rated hotels, had been approved as eco-friendly."

Beijing has about 700 "starred" hotels and is expected to have 800 by the time the Olympics are held.