After years of breakneck economic growth often cited for devouring resources and worsening pollution, the Chinese government plans to renovate existing buildings and require new urban buildings to adhere to mandatory energy-saving standards, according to an article written by Xinhua news agency.
The new regulations are intended to reduce China's energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. According to the plan, homes in northern China and urban buildings will have their heating systems upgraded to more efficient ones.
The new building codes will apply to government-invested buildings, including affordable housing projects, starting in 2014, according to an official with the National Development and Reform Commission who asked Xinhua not to be named.
The government's five-year plan aims to construct 1 billion square meters of green buildings by 2015, so that green buildings will make up 20 percent of the country's new construction.
