Towards Energy Efficient Buildings in China

In 2007, the growth rate of China’s total energy consumption fell to 7.8 percent from 9.6 percent a year earlier, according to official statistics.

China’s progression towards greater energy efficiency is not without challenges, however. In 2006, China consumed 2.56 billion tons of standard coal equivalent in total, which was equivalent to about 15 percent of the global consumption of energy by a country that accounts for 5.5 percent of the global GDP.  It seems that China still has a long way to go in its quest for energy efficient buildings.

Need of environmentally friendly buildings

With developers adding 2 billion square meters of floor space each year, equivalent to nearly half of the world's total floor space, construction is a key contributor to China’s huge energy consumption. Ma Kai, minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), estimates that buildings consume 27.6 percent of China's total energy and that this consumption has been rising fastest in recent years.

China lags far behind developed countries in terms of building energy efficiency, and is in need of practical guidelines, stricter enforcement and monitoring systems.

According to official data released in late 2007, 97 percent of all urban new building designs, and nearly 30 percent of buildings under construction, had yet to conform to national energy saving standards.

Energy–saving housing accounts for only 3.5 percent of all urban residential buildings currently in existence in China. Compared to developed countries, China energy consumption per unit of building area is two or even three times more then other nations.

Drive to improve energy efficiency

Many measures have been introduced over the last few two years to help China move towards it goals of improving energy efficiency. In the 11th Five-Year Plan published in 2005 and through other regulations, the Chinese government has set out a series of goals to increase energy efficiency by 2010. These regulations include:

• Reducing total energy consumption by 20 percent for every RMB 10,000 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) value created;

• Reducing water consumption by 30 percent for each unit of industrial added value;

• Improving city waste water processing rate to no less than 70 percent;

• Improving the comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid water to 60 percent.

Regulations at the design and construction stage

In June 2006, the Ministry of Construction issued the “Administration of Energy Conservation for Civil Buildings” to encourage the development of new energy saving construction methods and materials. In October 2008, the State Council issued regulations on energy efficiency during the construction of all state-funded institutions and civil buildings.

Regulations for building materials

Energy saving regulations have also been introduced on raw materials such as flat glass industry and gypsum.

Nearly 70-80 percent of all flat glass produced is used in construction. In 2006, the government began issuing polices and regulations to instill more efficient energy consumption practices. One such regulation issued in March 2007 for instance, encourages flat glass producers to consolidate to achieve greater economies of scale and to develop safer, environmentally friendly products.

One market leader, China Glass Holdings for example, has since acquired six domestic glassmakers to become the largest listed domestic flat glass producer. A total of 10 to 15 large players in the flat glass sector who will capture about 70-80 percent market share are expected by 2010. A further directive in April 2007 bars any vertical drawing manufacturing methods and colburn processes, or factories with daily melting capacities of less than 100 tons.

Gypsum, a lightweight, fire and shock resistant material is another popular building material used for acoustic insulation. Demand for gypsum has been growing at double digits in recent years. Improvements in industry practices have been noted in the more efficient use of industrial waste byproducts and lower energy consumption during production.

Two old standards were revised in March 2008 and are pending approval. The new regulations provide stringent technical guidelines on the strength and impact resistance of gypsum plasterboards in China. Such standards will improve product quality and in turn, raise the energy efficiency of the buildings they are installed in.

A mid-term review

While greater energy efficiency is certainly on the horizon for China, construction companies and suppliers of raw materials have a big role to play in ensuring that measures and regulations are adhered to.

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