Property developers have to adopt energy-saving technology and products for heating, cooling and lighting in new buildings from this year.

 

Real-estate projects would not be allowed to be launched unless they meet mandatory energy-efficiency standards, Vice-Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing told a press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office.

 

For example, compared with old buildings, new structures must be able to cut energy consumption by at least half.

 

The benchmark varies from region to region based on their natural conditions. In Beijing, it is now 25 kilograms of coal equivalent, a unit of energy consumption.

 

Qiu also said that a more stringent standard, to cut energy consumption by two-thirds, will this year be used on an experimental basis in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

 

The experimental standard is scheduled to become effective nationwide by 2010.

 

China builds 2 billion square meters of floor area each year, almost half the global total. The country has 40 billion square meters in existing buildings.

 

"Whether the new and old buildings can be made energy efficient will partly decide whether the country's energy shortage can be alleviated. It will also have an impact on global climate," Qiu said.

 

He said existing buildings would also be renovated for energy efficiency, noting that introduction of technology and products for energy efficiency would create a big market.

 

For new buildings, it would mean 100 to 200 yuan (US$12.5 to US$25) per square meter in additional expenditure, amounting to 200-400 billion yuan (US$25 billion to US$50 billion) annually.

 

The upgrading of old buildings for energy saving is estimated to need 2.6 trillion yuan (US$325 billion).

 

Since China is a latecomer in energy conservation applied to the construction sector, the country welcomes international players to share their technology with domestic counterparts, and benefit from the promising market, Qiu said.

 

He said China would take other steps for energy saving in the construction sector for which the construction and finance ministries are working on tax incentives and subsidies for companies developing and applying related technology.

 

(China Daily February 17, 2006)