An overview of energy efficiency policies standards for commercial buildings in China

China is currently in the process of urbanisation. This process has a large impact on China’s energy consumption as nearly 60% of the population is expected to live in urban areas by 2030 (compared to today’s 45%).The process has led to a massive construction rate in China with about 2bln m² of new buildings completed annually. Currently about 80% of these buildings are categorised as high-energy buildings, and more them 90% of them are considered to be high life-cycle energy consumption buildings. Current building energy consumption per floor area is at least 2-3 times higher in China than in developed countries, whilst the comfort level remains low. The main reason for this is the lack of high-energy efficiency building standards and regulations. This paper reviews China’s current policies and regulations that target energy efficiency improvements in the public building sector, and also emphasises possible areas of improvement. The investigation found that both the lack of financial investment and the neglection of climatic features of particular regions, contribute to a large amount energy in efficient buildings in China. Suggested improvements for commercial building standards are presented, which will contribute to energy savings and a reduction of green house gas emissions in China’s commercial buildings.