BEIJING - A program to promote sales of energy-efficient consumer goods launched by the Chinese government has reduced emissions by 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year since it was implemented, official data showed.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's top economic planner, and the Ministry of Finance started the program in June 2009, which offered at least 16 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) for consumers of energy-efficient home appliances and automobiles.

So far, the program has promoted the sale of at least 34 million air conditioners, one million automobiles and 160 million light bulbs. The total sales revenue has reached at least 120 billion yuan, the NDRC said in a statement on its website.

According to the program, buyers of the selected air conditioners will enjoy various levels of price cuts based on their energy-efficiency level. The Ministry of Finance provides compensation for the losses caused by the price cuts.

The project has also saved 22.5 billion kilowatts of electricity and 300,000 tonnes of fuel every year, the NDRC said.

It has also lifted the market share of energy-efficient air-conditioner to 70 percent from originally 5 percent. And vehicles with a displacement of less than 1.6 liters was raised to 30 percent from 7 percent, according to the NDRC.

In efforts to build a more environment-friendly society, the government announced in late 2009 that it will reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of economic output in 2020 by 40 to 45 percent compared with the level of 2005.