Shanghai Daily news

AS more office buildings and shopping malls adopted energy-saving measures, the city's peak electricity demand decreased to 14 million kilowatts yesterday, 20 percent less than the peak capacity for winter.

Big household electric appliance chains including Yongle and Gome have promised to turn off sample TV sets and other appliances on display at their outlets to save power.

The city's three electricity companies now handle 1,500 power breakdowns on average per day, mostly due to household accidents.

While natural gas consumption might hit a new record high during the Spring Festival, local gas companies pledged to deliver a stable supply.

Daily natural gas consumption rose to 9.61 million cubic meters on January 24, an all time high, and stayed above last year's highest level last weekend, according to Shanghai Gas (Group) Co.