Comparative analysis of energy use in China building sector: Current status, existing problems and solutions

Energy use in buildings has attracted more and more attention due to its significant proportion in the energy pan of the world. China is the second largest energy user, yet the situation of energy use in the China building sector remains unclear, due to problems of statistics and data processing and problematic use of these data. In this paper, a series of methods is developed, in the first place, to give strict definitions of energy data and to divide energy use into 4 sub-sectors according to the unique situation of China. Then, each sub-sector is further analyzed through international comparisons. Existing problems of energy use and solutions for energy reduction in each sub-sector are also discussed. Accordingly, it is found that China uses much less energy, in terms of both per capita and unit area, in buildings than developed countries. The difference in energy use could be attributed, in large part, to lifestyles of local people, which could determine their way of energy use but is more determined by cultural concepts than by others such as income, technique and so on, especially in China. However, to fulfill the requirements of lifestyles with higher living standards and lower energy consumption, technological innovations are needed. © Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.