Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions

The energy-efficiency promotion of new residential buildings in China has achieved great progress in the past three decades. However, the expected policy outcomes cannot be fully achieved due to the barriers in the policy-making and implementation process. Whereas governments play a critical role in...

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Main Authors: Yinan Li, Neng Zhu, Beibei Qin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-03-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/6/1073
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author Yinan Li
Neng Zhu
Beibei Qin
author_facet Yinan Li
Neng Zhu
Beibei Qin
author_sort Yinan Li
collection DOAJ
description The energy-efficiency promotion of new residential buildings in China has achieved great progress in the past three decades. However, the expected policy outcomes cannot be fully achieved due to the barriers in the policy-making and implementation process. Whereas governments play a critical role in policy formation, perceptions of stakeholders involved in the building life cycle and the industrial value chain (such as developers, design institutes and relevant material manufactures) are fundamental to the successful implementation. To collect and identify the barriers of significant influence on the industry from stakeholders’ perspectives, this paper used a nationwide institutes’ questionnaire to collect stakeholders’ voices regarding the barriers, the corresponding popularity and the severity. All the barriers were categorized according to institutions’ scorings through cluster analysis. The relationships between barriers were also analyzed according to the framework based on policy cycle and policy environment. Results indicated that the core problem is the ineffectiveness translating energy savings into benefits and profits. Accordingly, three major barriers were identified, namely the (1) unsatisfied policy design and implementation; (2) stakeholders’ lack of implementation capacity in developing and constructing high-performance new residential building projects and adopting relevant technologies; and (3) insufficient legalization of relevant market. Other identified barriers either were those not agreed by all institutions, or those could be eliminated easily after the removal of the above three barriers.
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spelling doaj.art-7a9a38a119024c17bf5d6a8ceee538782022-12-22T04:24:34ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732019-03-01126107310.3390/en12061073en12061073Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ PerceptionsYinan Li0Neng Zhu1Beibei Qin2School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, ChinaSchool of Built Environment, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AW, UKThe energy-efficiency promotion of new residential buildings in China has achieved great progress in the past three decades. However, the expected policy outcomes cannot be fully achieved due to the barriers in the policy-making and implementation process. Whereas governments play a critical role in policy formation, perceptions of stakeholders involved in the building life cycle and the industrial value chain (such as developers, design institutes and relevant material manufactures) are fundamental to the successful implementation. To collect and identify the barriers of significant influence on the industry from stakeholders’ perspectives, this paper used a nationwide institutes’ questionnaire to collect stakeholders’ voices regarding the barriers, the corresponding popularity and the severity. All the barriers were categorized according to institutions’ scorings through cluster analysis. The relationships between barriers were also analyzed according to the framework based on policy cycle and policy environment. Results indicated that the core problem is the ineffectiveness translating energy savings into benefits and profits. Accordingly, three major barriers were identified, namely the (1) unsatisfied policy design and implementation; (2) stakeholders’ lack of implementation capacity in developing and constructing high-performance new residential building projects and adopting relevant technologies; and (3) insufficient legalization of relevant market. Other identified barriers either were those not agreed by all institutions, or those could be eliminated easily after the removal of the above three barriers.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/6/1073barriersenergy-efficiency promotioncluster analysispolicy cyclepolicy environment
spellingShingle Yinan Li
Neng Zhu
Beibei Qin
Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions
Energies
barriers
energy-efficiency promotion
cluster analysis
policy cycle
policy environment
title Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions
title_full Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions
title_fullStr Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions
title_full_unstemmed Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions
title_short Major Barriers to the New Residential Building Energy-Efficiency Promotion in China: Frontlines’ Perceptions
title_sort major barriers to the new residential building energy efficiency promotion in china frontlines perceptions
topic barriers
energy-efficiency promotion
cluster analysis
policy cycle
policy environment
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/6/1073
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AT nengzhu majorbarrierstothenewresidentialbuildingenergyefficiencypromotioninchinafrontlinesperceptions
AT beibeiqin majorbarrierstothenewresidentialbuildingenergyefficiencypromotioninchinafrontlinesperceptions