Meredydd Evans

Enforcing Building Energy Codes in China: Progress and Comparative Lessons

From 1995 to 2005, building energy use in China increased more rapidly than the world average. China has been adding 0.4 to 1.6 billion square meters of floor space annually 2 , making it the world’s largest market for new construction. In fact, by 2020, China is expected to comprise half of all new construction. In response to this, China has begun to make important steps towards achieving building energy efficiency, including the implementation of building energy standards that requires new buildings to be up to 65% more efficient than buildings from the early 1980s. Making progress on reducing building energy use requires both a comprehensive code and a robust enforcement system. The latter – the enforcement system – is a particularly critical component for assuring that a building code has an effect. China has dramatically enhanced its enforcement system for building energy codes in the past two years, with more detailed requirements for ensuring enforcement and new penalties for non-compliance. We believe that the U.S. and other developed countries could benefit from learning about the multiple checks and the documentation required in China. Similarly, some of the more user-friendly enforcement approaches developed in the U.S. and elsewhere may be useful for China as it strives to improve enforcement in rural and smaller communities. In this article, we provide context to China’s building codes enforcement system by comparing it to the U.S. Among some of the enforcement mechanisms we look at are testing and rating procedures, compliance software, and training and public information.

Analysis of the Russian Market for Building Energy Efficiency

This report provides analysis of the Russian energy efficiency market for the building sector from the perspective of U.S. businesses interested in exporting relevant technologies, products and experience to Russia. We aim to help U.S. energy efficiency and environmental technologies businesses to better understand the Russian building market to plan their market strategy.

Country Report on Building Energy Codes in the United States

This report is part of a series of reports on building energy efficiency codes in countries associated with the Asian Pacific Partnership (APP) - Australia, South Korea, Japan, China, India, and the United States of America (U.S.). This reports gives an overview of the development of building energy codes in U.S., including national energy policies related to building energy codes, history of building energy codes, recent national projects and activities to promote building energy codes. The report also provides a review of current building energy codes (such as building envelope, HVAC, lighting, and water heating) for commercial and residential buildings in the U.S.

Feedbacks from Focus Group Meeting on Training and Implementation of Building Energy Codes in China

A focus group meeting is a very effective quality research approach to collect information on a specific project. Through focus group meetings at both Changchun and Ningbo in August 2010, the project team gained a more complete understandings of key stakeholders (such as their education level), their training needs and expectations, key factors influencing their decision making, and incurred implementation difficulties. In addition, the meeting helped the project team (especially PNNL) improve its understanding of the implementation status of building energy codes in other regions (such as small cities and counties neighboring to urban areas, small townships and rural areas distant from urban areas). The collected feedbacks will serve as important input not only for better design of training materials and the development of an on-line training website, but also for development of follow-up projects to promote building energy codes in China.

Playing Hot and Cold: How Can Russian Heat Policy Find Its Way Toward Energy Efficiency?

The Russian district heating has a large energy-saving potential, and, therefore, need for investments. The scale of needed investments is significant: the government estimates that 70 percent of the district heating infrastructure needs replacement or maintenance, a reflection of decades of under investment. Government budgets will be unable to cover them, and iInvolvingement ofthe private industry will be critical to attracting the necessary investementis necessary. For private parties to invest in district heating facilities across Russia, and not only in pockets of already successful enterprises, regulators have to develop a comprehensive policy that works district heating systems under various conditionscost-reflective tariffs, metering, incentives for efficiency and social support for the neediest (instead of subsidies for all).

Energy Efficiency Investments in Public Facilities - Developing a Pilot Mechanism for Russia and Chelyabinsk Region

Russian public sector buildings tend to be very inefficient, which creates vast opportunities for savings. This paper reviews opportunities to implement energy efficiency projects in Russian public buildings, created by new Russian legislation and regulations. Given Russias limited experience with energy performance contracts (EPCs), a pilot project can help test an implementation mechanism. The authors use Chelyabinsk Region as an example to discuss opportunities, challenges and solutions to financing and implementing an EPC in Russia, navigating through federal requirements and specific local conditions.

Energy Efficiency Investments in Public Facilities - Developing a Pilot Mechanism for Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs) in Russia

: Russian public sector buildings tend to be very inefficient, which creates vast opportunities for savings. This report overviews the latest developments in the Russian legislation related to energy efficiency in the public sector, describes the major challenges the regulations pose, and proposes ways to overcome these challenges. Given Russia’s limited experience with energy performance contracts (EPCs), a pilot project can help test an implementation mechanism. This paper discusses how EPCs and other mechanisms can help harness energy savings opportunities in Russia in general, and thus, can be applicable to any Russian region.

Incentives for methane mitigation and energy-efficiency improvements in the case of Ukraine's natural gas transmission system: Roshchanka & Evans

Reducing methane losses is a concern for climate change policy and energy policy. The energy sector is the major source of anthropogenic methane emissions into the atmosphere in Ukraine. Reducing methane emissions and avoiding combustion can be very cost-effective, but various barri- ers prevent such energy-efficiency measures from taking place. To date, few examples of industry-wide improvements exist. One example of substantial investments into upgrading natural gas transmission sys- tem comes from Ukraines natural gas transmission company, Ukrtransgaz. The companys investments into system upgrades, along with a 34% fall in throughput, resulted in reduction of Ukrtransgaz systems own consumption of natural gas by 68% in 2011 compared to the level in 2005. Evaluating reductions in methane emissions is challenging because of lack of accurate data and gaps in accounting methodolo- gies. At the same time, Ukraines transmission system has undergone improvements that, at the very least, have contained methane emissions, if not substantially reduced them. In this paper, we describe recent developments in Ukraines natural gas transmission system and analyze the incentives that forced the sec- tor to pay close attention to its methane losses. Ukraine is one of the most energy-intensive countries, among the largest natural gas consumers in the world, and a significant emitter of methane. The country is also dependent on imports of natural gas. A combination of several factors has created conditions for successful reductions in methane emissions and combustion. These factors include: an eightfold increase in the price of imported natural gas; comprehensive domestic environmental and energy policies, such as the Laws of Ukraine on Protecting the Natural Environment and on Air Protection; policies aimed at integration with European Unions energy market and accession to the Energy Community Treaty; and the countrys participation in international cooperation on environment, such as through the Joint Implemen- tation mechanism and the voluntary Global Methane Initiative. Learning about such case studies can help policymakers and sustainability professionals design better policies elsewhere.

Synthesis Report on the Implementation of Building Energy Codes in China

China building energy code and details to help improve building energy efficiency at global, national and local levels

Natural gas regulation in transition: the effects of geopolitics and prerequisites for change in transition economies

Natural gas has become a geopolitical concern in Europe. Transition economies have embarked on very different paths in using and regulating natural gas. Some countries, like Russia, have undertaken few market-oriented reforms of their natural gas sectors. The new European Union member states have pursued broader reforms. These differences often lead to tension. Two factors seem particularly important as prerequisites for major natural gas reforms. The first is energy efficiency, since low energy efficiency can make energy reforms socially and economically difficult. The second is corruption: vested interests and a captive state can play powerful roles in inhibiting reform.