The torrid pace of China’s building construction is the largest and fastest in human history.

China adds 2 billion square meters of new buildings every year - equivalent to about 80,000 new skyrise buildings annually.

The goal of the Buildings Program is to encourage construction of energy efficient buildings, as well as the development of efficient appliances and equipment. The Program supports residential and commercial building codes development, and implementation and enforcement pilot programs in Central and South China. The Program also supports appliance efficiency standards and labeling programs nationwide, including advanced efficiency standards for lighting, refrigeration, air conditioning, office equipment, etc. This includes support of standards development, implementation, and enforcement practices.

Energy consumption in China’s building sector has increased more than 10 percent each year for the last 20 years and now represents 25 percent of all energy used in China, a figure that will continue to rise as living standards in China improve. Increased use of household appliances and new residential and commercial building construction are primarily responsible for this skyrocketing energy use: household appliance ownership rates have been increasing dramatically over the past 25 years, and over the past 15 years, the total floor space of buildings in China has increased by 50 percent.

Household appliance ownership rates have been increasing dramatically over the past 25 years, adding significantly to  skyrocketing energy use.

Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Photo: Patty Fong