The reality and statistical distribution of energy consumption in office buildings in China

This paper analyzed the energy consumption of office buildings in several provinces and municipalities directly under the control of the Central Government of China, utilizing data from the first national survey of about 4600 samples which was conducted in 2007. The Electricity Use Intensity excluding District Heating (EUI excl. DH) of different cities or provinces was analyzed. By conducting a cluster analysis, it was found that a unique "Dual Sector Distribution" feature exists in office buildings in China, compared to a "Single-peak Distribution" characteristic in Japan and the US. The research also intended to explain the possible reasons behind this phenomenon. The Lorenz Curve and Gini Coefficient methods were used as references in order to reveal the regional disparity in China. The results suggested that: (1) EUI excl. DH of office buildings in each city or province in China appeared two different groups, most of them distributed on the lower range from 33.6 to 77.5 kWh(e)/(m(2) a),(1) excluding district heating energy use, while some of buildings fell within a higher range from 51.8 to 107.0 kWh(e)/(m(2) a). (2) The Gini Coefficient illustrated that the more developed of urbanization, the less significant of distribution difference, and the higher the EUI excl. DH of office building in China. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.