Best Policy Practices

Best Policy Practices
Investment into energy saving
China
“China to invest billions in energy-saving
buildings” made headlines in several newspapers
around the world in January 2007.
Here are excerpts from Mail & Guardian
(Thursday, 18Jan2007)
China will invest 1,5-trillion yuan ($193-billion) to make existing
buildings more energy efficient by 2020 in a bid to save
millions of tonnes of polluting coal, an official said on Thursday.
Warning that energy waste was hurting economic growth,
Vice-Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing said 350-million
tonnes of coal could be saved in the next 15 years if existing
buildings were renovated to make them more efficient and
new buildings adhered to green standards.
But he added that China was already failing to meet existing
energy efficiency targets.
“The yearly targets to improve energy efficiency through
upgrading existing buildings have not been fulfilled,” Qiu told
a news conference. “Energy-intensive buildings have resulted
in huge waste of energy, which has become an obstacle for
national economic development.”
Qiu said despite the huge investment in upgrading existing
buildings, the country’s priority would be to ensure new
construction met efficiency requirements. Half the world’s
new buildings between now and 2020 are projected to be in
China.
“Most of the construction in the world is done in China,”
said Qiu. “For China to act in compliance with energy efficiency
standards is important in the drive to build a resourcesaving
and environmentally friendly society.”
Inspections showed about 10% of 600 new construction
projects were in violation of energy efficiency standards and
would have their licenses revoked, Qiu said.
Sustainability vs growth
As China grows richer and its citizens shift from the countryside
to the cities, demand for comfortable, heated and air-conditioned
housing is growing, straining resources.
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