23/07/2020

Energy efficiency standards in China have been implemented for over three decades, since the release of the first nine product energy efficiency standards in 1989. They have now become a key component of energy conservation policy, thanks to their positive role in facilitating the green transformation and the high-quality development of industries, and in improving the technical level of products. They also have one of the highest input-output ratios

Currently, China has 73 energy efficiency standards and 111 standards for energy consumption quotas in effect; together, these account for over half of the total national energy conservation standards. The standards target major energy-consuming products and equipment – including household appliances, industrial equipment and lighting products – and span across key energy-intensive industries such as thermal power, steel and building materials. Energy efficiency standards are at the foundation of various policy measures and tools in China, such as the national energy label system, the government procurement of energy-saving products, and the preferential income tax for enterprises purchasing and adopting energy-saving products; at the same time, they also provide the key technical basis on which the government carries out administrative management in energy conservation.

In China, energy efficiency standards are mostly developed by the China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS). CNIS is a key player driving the revision and development of national energy efficiency standards in China, as well as the establishment of the entire energy efficiency standard system; it hosts the Secretariat of the National TC 20 on Energy Fundamentals and Management of the Standardization Administration of China, and also the secretariats of multiple international standardisation TCs such as ISO/TC 301 for energy management and energy savings, and ISO/TC 207/SC 7 for greenhouse gas management. According to its work plan, CNIS’ next priorities in energy efficiency standardisation are to expand the coverage of standards, and to closely monitor the demand and needs for higher energy efficiency in emerging areas like data centres and cold-chain logistics. The aim is to contribute to the global leadership of China’s energy efficiency standards in refrigeration.