Carbon print studies for the energy conservation regulations of the UK and China

The recently published building energy conservation regulation of China (GB50189-2005, 2005 [1]) was compared with the latest UK building energy conservation regulation (Part L) (Building Regulation Approved Document L2A, 2006 [2]). The UK regulation appeared stricter in its requirements and standards than the Chinese regulation. In two case studies, the design of a sample building is altered to fulfil the minimum requirements of the two regulations. The energy consumption and Carbon print of the virtual building under the two set of regulations are estimated by computer based models in the two case studies based on a building in the Cold regions. The building under the UK regulation showed higher energy efficiency and less Carbon emissions per year. The high level estimate in the case studies discovered a potential energy savings of 29% by strengthening the design requirements in the Chinese regulation to the UK level. The improvement on energy efficiency of buildings can be achieved in strengthening the proactive design aspects on building envelope, efficient HVAC, lighting and lighting control system. The software used was SBEM which is the default tool in the UK Part L regulation.