Energy demand reduction has become a global issue involving all countries, including China. As major energy consumers in today’s society, the need for buildings to be built and operated more energy efficiently is well recognized. In 1995, the national standard on building energy efficiency in China (JGJ 26-95) was refined and updated to become the new residential Buildings standard (JGJ 26-2010) published in 2010. In the new version, many changes have been made to support the construction of more energy efficient buildings in China. For example, in the new standard, all buildings are highly recommended to install personal control on the heating system, such as by Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs), together with ‘pay for what you use’ tariffs. Previous practice comprised uncontrolled heating with payment based on floor area.
This paper evaluates the impact of updated building design standards on thermal conditions and energy consumption in Chinese residential buildings. In the study, two types of residential buildings have been chosen, one complying with the old Chinese building design standard, while the other complies with the new standard. The study was carried out in seven apartments in each building, with a longitudinal monitoring of indoor air temperature, outdoor air temperature, window position and energy consumption. The impact of the new design standard has been evaluated in relation to a number of aspects, that include building construction, indoor thermal environment, occupant behaviour, thermal comfort and building energy consumption. It is concluded that updating the building design standard has had a positive influence on the building conditions and energy consumption
