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The Facilities Management Office (FMO) has long been implementing various energy saving activities on campus.
The University's annual accumulated carbon emission avoidance in 2012 was 10,405 tonnes, equivalent to the emissions saved by removing 64,777 sets of continuously-operating 36W fluorescent light fixtures. Without the implementation of these ongoing energy saving activities, carbon emissions on campus would have increased by 26 percent.
The wise use of energy at HKUST is a key conservation area. A centralized computer system is used to balance the year-round heating and cooling needs of staff, with the goal being trying to reduce the consumption of energy in off-peak hours. Fume cupboards in laboratories are another large consumer of energy. Users are educated and encouraged to save energy through the wise use of fume cupboards.
Every year, numerous measures are carried out to reduce energy consumption and save costs. New measures in 2012 included:
- The installation of a 1000-tonne high-efficiency chiller, which replaced an aged counterpart, saving HK$454,000 per annum.
- The installation of 422 VAV controllers as substitutes for existing equipment. The new controllers allowed the varying demands of laboratories to receive more precise service and saved HK$380,000 over the year.
- The addition of a 175kW electric heat pump on the roof of the animal house, replacing the remote hot water supply from a central gas calorifier, saving HK$289,000 per annum.
- The addition of four variable speed drives to reduce the speed of the respective laboratory virtual-stack-fans during low emission periods, saving HK$156,000 per annum.
- The adoption of 364 LED footlights, ceiling lights, floodlights and exit signs to replace their aging and less energy-efficient counterparts on campus, saving HK$78,000 per annum.
 The addition of sensors and timers to switch off 80 sets of lighting fixtures in laboratory corridors, saving HK$17,000 per annum.
- Fine-tuning the operation of fan coil units to optimize corridor space temperatures.
- The stoppage in winter of the water-chilling operation of 123 sets of drinking fountains in the Academic Building.
.jpg) The installation of motion sensors, LED lights and timers around different areas of the student halls, in an effort to continue to promote energy conservation.
- The addition of six sets of water-to-water electric heat pumps , which captured waste heat from the condensing water of the air-conditioning plant of the Building Services Unit, athletic field and swimming pools, saving HK$578,000 per annum.
These measures implemented by the FMO in 2012 generated an additional energy saving of HK$1,952,000 over the year. | 
