Improving The Energy Performance of Large Commercial Buildings in China Using Effective Energy Management

In many Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, the energy use in large commercial buildings is significantly higher than that in the other building sectors. Monthly electricity consumption data from six large commercial buildings in Shanghai and Beijing in 2006 and 2007 were analyzed by exploring the energy consumption with temperature variations throughout the year. Intrinsic heating and cooling electricity requirements and baseline functional electricity consumptions were identified. Different patterns of energy consumption in buildings emerged and it was possible to separate the intrinsic energy requirements for heating and cooling from other energy uses. In most buildings, it was found that the dominant energy use was for requirements other than heating and cooling and this information provides an important insight into those areas where the most cost effective energy conservation strategies should be targeted. Thus, in many cases improving the thermal performance of the building by technical means will have less impact than reducing the requirements of functional energy use within the building. Such reductions may be achieved either by the deployment of more efficient appliances or through the use of effective energy management.