Overcoming barriers to implementation of carbon reduction strategies in large commercial buildings in China

With an economic growth in GDP of around 10% per annum in recent years, energy consumption in the building sector in China now accounts for 25% of the total energy use in the whole nation. In large buildings in Beijing and Shanghai the consumption rate, at approximately 190 kWh/m² per annum, is around five times the energy use in residential buildings in those cities. Addressing this ever increasing energy consumption and the consequential green house gas (GHG) emissions must be a priority to achieve low carbon sustainability in China.