Buildings in China currently account for over 40% of China’s total energy use, and this is expected to rise. China has stretching targets to reduce energy consumption per unit GDP and tackling energy efficiency in buildings will be a key route to achieve these targets.

Financial and market-based mechanisms offer a route to increase take-up of energy efficiency measures in buildings. While market based mechanisms, principally the Clean Development Mechanism, have acted as a trigger in the development of many large, industrial scale energy efficiency projects in China, there has not been, as yet, a similar uptake of projects involving energy efficiency improvements to buildings.

There is however significant potential to improve building energy efficiency and this project will:

• Consider the appropriate financial and, in particular, market-based mechanisms to trigger action in this area and develop a road-map to suggest a suitable route forward.
• Increase stakeholder awareness on the potential to improve building energy efficiency though financial and market based mechanisms.

This project is now completed and the final report for the project is available by clicking on the links below:

- English version
- Chinese version

The final project workshop took place on Wednesday 18 February 2009 - click on the links below to see the presentations given at the event:

- REEEP Programme Overview - REEEP East Asia Secretariat

- Overview of project activities & main results - Xiao Hong, ESD-Sinosphere

- China BEE (Policies, Barriers and Recommendations) - Dr Kang Yanbing, ERI/ NDRC

- Mapping the implementation of appropriate financial and market based mechanisms for BEE in China - Liu Qiang, ERI

- International Experience and the CDM - Rachel Child, ESD-Sinosphere

The first project workshop took place on Tuesday 27 November 2007 - click on the links below to see the presentations given at the event:

• REEEP Programme Overview - Ma Lingjuan (REEEP East Asia Secretariat)
  
  
• Overview of Project - Hannah Routh (ESD-Sinosphere)
  
  
• Current situation of building energy efficiency in China - Dr. Kang Yanbing, Energy Conservation Information Dissemination Center, National Development and Reform Commission
  
  
• Building energy efficiency in the CDM & other financing mechanism used internationally - Rachel Child (ESD-Sinosphere)
  

• Identify the market mechanisms and institutional and legal frameworks necessary to enable the strategic development of biomass co-firing in China

• Develop these mechanisms as a means to achieve renewable energy targets and reduce the global impact of GHG emissions from coal fired electricity generation