China

Current Codes

China national standard GB50189-2005, Design Standard for Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings
Published by the Ministry of Construction in 2005


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History

An update to China’s residential codes was submitted in November 2008. The update includes redefined sub-regions, updated shapes and U-factors for windows and roofs, an updated thermal envelope calculation method, and a 65% efficiency improvement for HVAC design guidelines.

China’s first residential building energy codes were established in 1986. They encompassed standards on heating for the northern cold regions, and were revised in 1995. In 2001, these were extended to include the hot-summer cold-winter central region, and the hot-summer warm-winter southern region in 2003. In 2005, China established a national design standard for all public (commercial) buildings, which focused on HVAC and building envelope. Recognizing the amount of energy residential buildings had recently been consuming, China began updating its residential building energy codes with assistance from Energy Foundation, NRDC, and LBNL.