Experts from China and Europe discuss building energy efficiency: China’s energy efficiency is only 33%

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“In Germany, heating 1 square meter of space in winter requires 9 kilograms of coal, while in China it requires 22 kilograms of coal. ”On April 10, Michael Pusey, Minister Counsellor at the European Commission’s delegation in China, described the current situation of energy efficiency in China during a seminar on the efficient use of energy in civil buildings held at the Beijing Exhibition Center. At the seminar, Michael Pusey explained that in order to reduce energy consumption by 2020, the European Commission has recently adopted various energy-related measures and set goals to that end. The first goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% from 1990 to 2020 ； The second goal is to have 20% of energy come from renewable sources by 2020 ； The third goal is to improve energy efficiency by 20% by 2020. Michael Pusey said that 40% of energy consumption comes from commercial buildings; therefore, improving energy efficiency in such buildings and reducing energy use are of paramount importance for the efficient use of energy. The EU has taken a series of measures to reduce energy consumption in the construction sector; for example, all new and renovated buildings must meet minimum standards for energy use ； All buildings must have a certificate issued by an independent third-party agency, and this certificate is essential for any sale or purchase of buildings. Michael Pusey also said that in order to address global warming, it is impossible not to cooperate with a major country like China. It is for this reason that the European Commission has been holding discussions on climate change with China since 2005. China is a major energy consumer, ranking second in the world in terms of total energy consumption. China has a large population and relatively limited energy resources; its per capita energy consumption is only 40% of the world average. Building energy consumption accounts for around 40% of the total energy consumption in the country. Currently, energy efficiency is only 33%, which is 20 years behind that of developed countries; the energy intensity is higher than that of developed countries as well as the world average, being about three times that of the United States and 7.2 times that of Japan. How to improve energy efficiency has become an urgent issue in China’s future economic development. China's goal is to build a society with high-quality energy utilization. To this end, China **included energy conservation targets and pollutant emission targets as the most important indicators in its first 11th Five-Year Plan; that is, over a period of 5 years, China was to reduce its energy consumption by 20% and its pollutant emissions by 20%. Shi Dinghuan, a counselor to the State Council, pointed out that the audit and management of energy are currently weak areas in China ； For existing buildings, China has not yet carried out strict energy efficiency audits, nor have annual standards for such audits been established. Under these circumstances, it is very necessary to engage in long-term cooperation with the EU on energy. During the two-day seminar, over 20 experts from China and Europe discussed key issues such as reducing energy consumption, improving energy efficiency, and the use of renewable energy. They proposed starting with the building’s appearance, location, and the design of the materials used, in order to regulate energy demand ； To improve energy efficiency, high-efficiency boilers and water pumps should be used, as well as heat storage systems, cogeneration systems, and tri-generation systems, with regular maintenance of these systems. In addition, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy should be utilized as much as possible.