An analysis of energy efficient retrofit strategies for office buildings in China

Rapid urbanization and economic growth in China over the past 20 years has resulted in an increased demand for energy use in buildings. Among 50 billion m2 of existing buildings only 0.15% reached the basic requirement of the Chinese green building standard. The Chinese government has set up a building retrofit plan in order to achieve its carbon reduction target. This paper presents computer simulation results for the energy consumption of a typical air-conditioned office building located in the five Chinese climate zones. Retrofitting strategies include building insulation, airtightness, efficiency of heating/cooling systems (COP) and lighting systems. The simulation results show that building retrofitting measures are highly beneficial to energy efficiency in buildings. This paper attempts to provide information for policy-makers considering building retrofitting strategies.