This paper investigates ways of improving building performance in terms of minimizing energy consumption in Linyi City apartment buildings, thus providing Linyi City Council with advice on how to incorporate renewable energy technologies into existing designs and how to enhance the performance of the target buildings. Several approaches are proposed, which have been proven to be effective in improving building performance, namely super-insulation of the building fabric, air tightness of the envelope, low-energy lighting and appliances, natural ventilation and heat recovery, as well as river-water assisted cooling technologies. Further to this, a plan is provided on implementing the proposed renewable energy and energy efficient technologies into existing designs. The resulting buildings will be self-sustained and have the feature of ‘low carbon emission’.