China’s construction industry demonstrated a complex energy consumption pattern in 2024, with new data revealing contrasting trends between building construction and operational phases. According to a comprehensive report jointly compiled by the China Association of Building Energy Efficiency and Chongqing University, the sector witnessed significant environmental improvements during construction activities despite increased energy demands from existing building operations.
The detailed analysis, unveiled Wednesday in Beijing, indicates that energy consumption during construction processes declined to 1.25 billion metric tons of standard coal, representing a reduction of 20 million tons compared to previous year figures. Correspondingly, carbon dioxide equivalent emissions during construction dropped substantially to 2.78 billion tons, marking a decrease of 60 million tons year-on-year. The report attributes the majority of these consumption and emission metrics to the production and utilization of construction materials.
Conversely, operational energy consumption across China’s civil building portfolio increased by 40 million tons to reach 1.3 billion tons of standard coal. Despite this absolute increase, the proportion of operational energy use within China’s total energy consumption profile actually decreased marginally by 0.1 percentage points to 21.8 percent. Operational carbon emissions reached 2.47 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, reflecting an increase of 60 million tons.
The report highlights a crucial finding: while operational metrics showed absolute increases, the growth rate has significantly decelerated. Historical data from 2000 to 2024 shows operational energy use increased by 1.02 billion tons of standard coal with average annual growth of 6.5 percent, but the 2024 increase was only 3.2 percent year-on-year. Similarly, operational carbon emissions grew by 1.81 billion tons of CO2 equivalent over the period with average annual growth of 5.7 percent, compared to just 2.5 percent in 2024 alone.
This divergence suggests China’s enhanced focus on construction phase efficiency and sustainable building materials is yielding measurable results, even as the challenge of managing operational energy consumption in existing buildings continues to evolve. The data provides critical insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders working toward China’s broader carbon neutrality goals.