⠀
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Residential buildings in China consume twice as much energy for heating as similarly cold locations in Europe or the U.S.
A Bank-supported project has upgraded heating systems and accelerated energy efficiency in the urban buildings of China.
The Bank is ready to broaden these efforts—exploring how to incorporate energy efficiency into the development of low-carbon cities overall.
⠀Winter is approaching, and it's time to activate the heating. Shen Tianxiang, a resident of Tianjin, China, is pleased that he will pay less for heating now, as he lives in an energy-efficient home.
Heating is essential to survive winter in northern China—where temperatures can drop to -30 degrees Celsius. However, most heating systems used there are coal-fired, centralised, inefficient, and emit poorly controlled pollutants. Buildings also tend to lack adequate insulation.
To make matters worse, there is little incentive for residents to reduce their high energy use—their bills are typically based on the size of their apartment, not their actual energy consumption.
On average, residential buildings in China use twice as much energy for heating as comparable locations in Europe or the United States where temperatures are equally cold.A project supported by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is helping to drive change—upgrading heating systems and boosting energy efficiency in China’s urban homes.
Saving both energy and money
Shen Tianxiang lives in Tianjin’s Huasha Classic Community, a residential complex part of the Heat Reform and Building Energy Efficiency Project. These buildings showcase energy efficiency improvements and cost savings in residential space heating.
Launched in 2005, the project aims to:
• Enhance enforcement of energy efficiency standards for buildings, including insulation and other energy-saving measures;
• Implement heat metering, cost-based pricing, and consumption-based billing;
• Modernise heat supply systems so residents can control when heating is active.
“Since we adopted heat metering, I can save more than 2,000 yuan ($300) a year,” says Shen. “With insulated external walls, I only need to activate one of the eight radiators around my apartment. Previously, without the control valve, we had to open windows when it was too warm inside. Now, we conserve energy and money.”
“In Huasha Classic community alone, last winter, about 60 percent of residents paid lower heating fees than before heat metering and other energy-saving measures were introduced. This shows residents can indeed benefit from energy-efficient buildings,” says Tang Xiao, a project coordinator with the Tianjin Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, which oversees project implementation in Tianjin.
The project has also motivated developers by subsidising part of the additional costs related to their energy efficiency innovations. Wang Jian, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Tianjin Huasha Construction & Development Company, notes that his company has gained valuable experience for future projects.
“Participating in this project has also strengthened our company’s brand,” he says.
The benefits extend beyond energy savings, he adds. “This project has inspired us to explore resource-saving measures more broadly. For example, we built a water recycling system within this complex.”
Additionally, the local government runs extensive public education campaigns on energy efficiency in residential buildings, supported partly by the project. Brochures on heat metering are distributed to new residents of newly-built apartments.
Since we adopted heat metering, I can save more than 2,000 yuan ($300) a year,
Shen Tianxiang
A resident of Tianjin’s Huasha Classic Community
From Tianjin to other cities
Tianjin has served as a pilot for heat reform and is setting a model for other Chinese cities. By 2015, plans include installing controllable heating systems and consumption-based billing in 35% of existing buildings and all new constructions.
Other urban centres are following suit. The project has also assisted Urumqi, in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Province, in developing one of the country’s first green building projects, alongside supporting several other cities to develop policies for consumption-based billing.
“China has made significant efforts over recent years to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Firstly, it has promoted advanced standards for building efficiency; secondly, it has focused on ensuring these standards are enforced so that designed buildings are actually constructed accordingly,” explains Gailius Draugelis, a senior energy specialist at the World Bank.
From residential buildings to the broader aims of developing low-carbon cities
China’s construction boom is not limited to the north, where much attention has been dedicated to improving energy efficiency standards due to the region’s heavy heating energy demand; it is also happening in the south, where air conditioning is often used for half the year and requires smarter energy management.
Rapid urbanisation also fuels the growth of office buildings and other facilities that demand substantial energy resources.
Experts argue that energy-efficient buildings are one of the most effective, cost-efficient methods to cut greenhouse gas emissions and conserve resources.
“We are prepared to expand our efforts, to look beyond residential buildings,” says Draugelis, “and explore how to embed these principles into the development of low-carbon cities across China.”
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Residential buildings in China use twice as much energy to heat as equally cold places in Europe or the U.S.
- A Bank-supported project has modernised heating systems and sped up energy efficiency in buildings in China’s urban areas.
- The Bank is prepared to expand efforts to look into how to integrate energy efficiency of buildings into low-carbon cities as a whole.
Winter is approaching and it's time to turn on the heat. Shen Tianxiang, a resident of Tianjin, China, is content that he will pay less for heating than before, since he now lives in an energy-efficient home.
Heating is vital to survive winter in northern China – where temperatures can plunge to -30 degrees Celsius. But most of the heating systems there are coal-fired, centralized, inefficient and have poor emission controls. Buildings also lack proper insulation.
To make things worse, there’s little incentive for people to cut their high energy use – the bills most people pay are dictated by the size of their apartment, not by how much energy they use.
On average, residential buildings in China use twice as much energy to heat as places in Europe or the United States where the temperature can be just as cold.
A project supported by the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is helping bring change – to modernize heating systems and speed up energy efficiency in China’s urban homes.
Saving both energy and money
Shen Tianxiang lives in Tianjin’s Huasha Classic Community, a residential complex that is part of the Heat Reform and Building Energy Efficiency Project. These buildings demonstrate energy efficiency gains and cost savings in residential space heating.
The project, launched in 2005, aims to
- Improve enforcement of energy efficiency standards for buildings , as well as design and use of insulation and other energy-saving measures;
- Implement heat metering, cost-based pricing and consumption-based billing;
- Modernize heat supply systems so that residents can control when the heat is on.
“Since we adopted heat metering, I can save more than 2,000 yuan ($300) a year,” Shen says. “With insulated external walls, I only need to turn on one of the eight radiators around my apartment. In the past, when we didn’t have the control valve, we had to open the windows when it got too warm in the room. Now we save both energy and money.”
“In Huasha Classic community alone, last winter, about 60 percent of the residents paid lower heating fees than before the adoption of heat metering and other energy-saving measures. This shows that residents can get some real benefits from energy-efficient buildings,” says Tang Xiao, a project coordinator with the Tianjin Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, which manages the project implementation in Tianjin.
The project has also motivated developers by covering a portion of the incremental costs associated with their energy efficiency innovations. Wang Jian, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Tianjin Huasha Construction & Development Company, says his company has gained good experience that can be used in future work.
“Participating in this project has also strengthened our company’s brand,” he says.
The benefits go beyond energy savings, he says. “This project also inspired us to explore resource-saving measures in a broader scope. For example, we built a water recycling system in this complex.”
Besides, the local government conducts wide-ranging public education campaigns on energy efficiency in residential buildings, which are partly supported by the project. Brochures on heat metering are handed to each household when they move in to a newly-built apartment building.
Since we adopted heat metering, I can save more than 2,000 yuan ($300) a year 
From Tianjin to other cities
Tianjin has been a pilot in heat reform and is setting a model for other cities in China. By 2015, it plans to set up controllable heating systems and consumption-based billing in 35% of the existing buildings and 100% of new buildings.
Other cities are making similar efforts. The project also helped Urumqi, in Northwestern China’s Xinjiang Province, to develop one of the first green building developments and supported several other cities to develop consumption-based billing policies.
“China has made strong efforts in the past few years in improving energy efficiency in buildings. First, it has promoted advanced energy efficiency standards for buildings; second, it has also looked into how to enforce those standards, so that buildings that are designed are in fact built according to those standards,” says Gailius Draugelis, a senior energy specialist at the World Bank.
From residential buildings to overall low carbon cities
China’s building boom is happening not only in the North, where much attention has been paid to improve energy efficiency standards because of the region’s heavy use of energy for heating, but also in the South, where air conditioning can easily be running for six months a year and also requires smarter energy use.
Rapid urbanization also drives construction of office buildings and other facilities, which have significant energy needs, too.
Experts say that energy-efficient buildings are one of the most cost-effective approaches to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help save resources.
“We are prepared to expand our efforts, to look not only into energy efficiency in residential buildings,” says Draugelis, “but also how we can integrate these principles into our quest for low-carbon cities in China.”
No comments:
Post a Comment