In operation since 1975, the Pik Uk Prison in Sai Kung runs under the Hong Kong Correctional Services for adopting male prisoners. There is an extensive laundry workshop in the prison, which processes used laundry by patients from the East Kowloon Cluster hospitals, general outpatient clinics and ambulance stations, and account for over 1 million pieces of clothing per month. In order to improve the quality of laundry and ensure that the water temperature is high enough for sterilization, Towngas implemented the diesel conversion project for Pik Uk Prison to replace the existing 3 diesel steam boilers which have been used for 20 years to 3 steam boilers that uses towngas as its main fuel. These boilers generate steam to power the washing, drying and ironing machines in the workshop, and process 20 tonnes of laundry every day. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the laundry workshop, the boiler replacement project was carried out in three phases. The 1st phase was completed and put into operation in May, and the 2nd and 3rd phases are now in progress. The entire project is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2020.

As a clean energy source, town gas effectively minimizes the adverse effects of burning diesel. For example, security concerns have arisen when diesel has to be refilled by large trucks regularly in the past; however, a stable supply of gas can now be ensured by our extensive gas supply network. Moreover, using town gas do not produce soot at the bottom of boilers; furthermore, preventing odor when refilling diesel tanks. In converting the diesel boilers to gas steam boilers, Towngas creates a cleaner and more environmentally friendly environment for the laundry workshop.

The Dining Discount Bonanza was organized by the major catering associations in Hong Kong, namely, Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, Association of Restaurant Managers, The Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management Ltd., Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, Institution of Dining Art, Hong Kong Japanese Food And Cuisine Association, and Hong Kong Japanese Restaurant Association which sponsored by Towngas. This campaign aims to encourage people to dine out and local spending by offering discounts and promotions to stimulate consumption in restaurants and revive ailing economy.

Over 1,000 participating restaurants offered a 30% discount for diner from 15 July, falling to 20% off in August. In response to the latest COVID-19 epidemic situation, the campaign has called for the participating restaurants to offer discounts for takeaways to support the Government's epidemic prevention.

Hong Kong's economy has been facing serious challenges as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. With the recent drop in the number of new cases, Towngas was quick to launch the "Supporting F&B and the Economy". Three measures are offered as part of this campaign to help the catering industry to overcome the present hurdles. Measures include a kitchen equipment rental and purchase scheme for qualifying small and medium eateries, an online shopping loyalty programme with food and beverage (F&B) coupons, and a safety net for the owners of participating eateries who open an account at ZA Bank will be covered by the ZA F&B Relief Fund.

The kick-off ceremony of the campaign was held on 18 May, during which details to the kitchen equipment rental and purchase scheme as well as food and beverage e-coupons were announced. Executive Councillor cum Legislative Councillor of the catering functional constituency Mr. Tommy Cheung and various catering industry representatives from catering associations, namely Association of Restaurant Managers, Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, The Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, Institution of Dining Art, Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, and Hong Kong Japanese Food and Cuisine Association, attended the event to show their support.

The campaign includes a kitchen equipment rental and purchase scheme especially tailored for small- and medium-sized eateries. New eateries can apply for cash flow to be used towards purchasing kitchen equipment and facilities with 18-month interest-free instalments. The scheme serves to facilitate individuals and organisations looking to join the catering industry by lowering the start-up investment cost and addressing potential cash flow difficulties.

The thermal comfort of patients is identified as prime importance for hospital to achieve humidity control. After the installation of hot water type desiccant dehumidifier in Children Hospital's hydrotherapy pool in 2019, Towngas continuing its success to extend the use of desiccant dehumidifying system for wards in Hong Kong Baptist Hospital, with the adoption of the latest integrated PAU with desiccant wheel.

Founded in 1963, Hong Kong Baptist Hospital is a Christian hospital, with more than 2,200 staff and 860 beds. The Hospital stresses the importance of providing holistic care in which one's physical, emotional, and well-being aspects are being taken care of. With ongoing development in a range of services and investments in technologies, the Hospital and Towngas recently installed the integrated desiccant system on the roof top to enhance humidity control at the nurse station and ward area on 7/F. By integrating the desiccant wheel into the PAU, and applying N-pack hot water system instead of gas direct-fired for regeneration process of desiccant wheel, this method avoids cross contamination; meanwhile, the compact design does not require stand-alone dehumidifier and associated air-ducting, which greatly saves space on the roof top.

The project was kick-started in October 2019 and completed in February 2020, the Hospital was satisfied and impressed by our fast delivery. Without relying on chiller for humidity control, the desiccant system greatly reduces the load of the PAU and chiller system and saves HVAC running cost for the Hospital. Meanwhile, maintaining high quality indoor air not only improves the comfort level of the ward, but also suppresses bacteria growth and thus bringing a comfortable and hygienic environment for patients. The precise humidity control also avoids over-cooling in wards and reduces the demand for clothes and linen, which further bring saving in laundry and other operating cost for the Hospital.

In response to the spread of the novel coronavirus and the government's call for infection control, Towngas has made the decision to fully sponsor a nano photocatalytic long-acting disinfectant spray to be applied to the premises of eateries in Hong Kong, with the aim of boosting the people's confidence towards the hygiene of eateries and showing its support for the catering industry which is facing a great challenge posed by the virus.

Starting from March, Towngas has begun the application, and stickers will be provided for posting on the premises of eateries that have been treated with the spray for the public's easy identification.

Towngas held a ceremony on 27 March for the Towngas Infection Control Disinfecting Campaign, attended by Executive Councillor cum Legislative Councillor of the catering functional constituency Mr. Tommy Cheung as well as Chairmen from the major local catering associations. With their great support towards the campaign, 6,000 complimentary bottles of nano photocatalytic spray sponsored by Towngas will be distributed to various eateries. Every eatery is expected to receive two bottles of the spray so that they can complete the application process in order to fight against the coronavirus.

As commercial and industrial customers are taking care of indoor air humidity nowadays, Towngas has been vigorously promoted the use of gas dehumidifiers. However, the space required for installation of separate primary air handling unit (PAU) and gas desiccant dehumidifier is large, so it is difficult to be successfully implemented in commercial buildings in Hong Kong.

In view of this, Towngas integrated the PAU, gas desiccant dehumidifier and heat exchanger into a single system. By integrating the desiccant wheel into the PAU, and applying hot water system instead of gas direct-fired for regeneration process of desiccant dehumidifier, this method can mitigate the possibility of mixing exhausted flue gas with dry process air; meanwhile, it does not need to install stand-alone dehumidifier and associated air-duct, which greatly saves installation space and equipment cost. The system is also capable to integrate with solar collector system for water heating, and thus bringing energy saving.

Taking the newly completed H ZENTRE as an example, the application of the "Integrated PAU with Desiccant Wheel" can effectively reduce energy consumption and improve indoor environmental quality, which is expecting the highest "Platinum" rating in the HKGBC BEAM Plus. Through promoting the use of "Integrated PAU with Desiccant Wheel" to the industry, Towngas is keen to bring a sustainable environment for building users, with a view to creating green spaces for the well-being.

Towngas shows continuous effort to produce gas as cleanly and efficiently as practicable. As far back as the 1970s, we switched our production feedstock from coal and heavy oil to naphtha, and then introduced natural gas and landfill gas in recent years. Throughout the years, not only does providing the hospitals with gas equipment and reliable gas supply, Towngas also participates in large scale boiler conversion project, to maintain close ties with the Hospital Authority.

Established in 1964, Caritas Medical Centre (CMC) is an acute general hospital with over 1,000 beds, providing a full range of acute, rehabilitation, ambulatory and community medical services to patients for more than half a century. To satisfy the public's ever-increasing demand for quality healthcare, CMC continued to upgrade its medical facilities and equipment. Starting from the third quarter of 2018, Towngas has been cooperating with CMC to replace the original diesel boilers with four new 3 ton/hr dual fuel steam boilers. Using towngas as its main fuel, the new dual fuel steam boilers generate steam for shower, disinfection and laundry at the hospital. To avoid affecting the daily operation of the hospital, the conversion project is being carried out in four phases, of which the 1^st and 2^nd phases had been completed and put into operation in August and December 2019 respectively, the 3^rd and 4^th phases is targeted to be completed by the third quarter of 2020.

After switching to green energy, Towngas and CMC are expected to minimize various adverse effects of burning diesel. The use of town gas not only reduces greenhouse gas emissions effectively, but also avoids the unpleasant odors during refueling underground tanks. Moreover, town gas, as a clean energy, will not generate soot inside the boiler during combustion, and thus only regular maintenance and inspection is required to maintain the equipment efficiency, which greatly saves the operation and maintenance costs for the hospital. While delivering a reliable supply of energy and quality services, Towngas is committed to make continuous improvement in our gas appliances, thus to provide a safe and healthy environment to the hospital.