Work

Reducing Operational Carbon Emissions from Urban Residential Buildings with Improved Green Building Efficiency Standards

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Decarbonizing China’s urban operational residential buildings is essential for carbon neutrality and sustainable building energy systems. However, regional variations in the effectiveness and costs of low-carbon measures for urban residential buildings remain unclear, limiting policy pathway design. We employ a bottom-up framework to evaluate emission reduction potentials and costs across scenarios, aiming to identify region-specific and time-specific strategies for urban residential building operations. An integrated pathway of improving green building energy efficiency standards could reduce 2060 emissions from urban residential operations to 535 MtCO2, 63.7% below the business-as-usual (BAU) level in 2060. In non-heating areas, cooling standard upgrade offers the largest reduction potential (18.1% of total reduction). In heating areas, heat structure optimization contributes the largest reduction, 207 MtCO2. From a cost-optimal perspective, cooking electrification offers the lowest marginal cost, declining to 9 CNY/tCO2 by 2060. Improving envelope retrofit standards requires high upfront investment but yields long-term returns, with costs potentially falling by 63% under policy support. By integrating regional mitigation potential with cost-effectiveness analysis, this study provides a roadmap for decarbonizing China’s urban residential building operations that supports climate goals and promotes sustainable living.

Source: Buildings

DOI: 10.3390/buildings16112198

Authors: Qiang Liu, Nana Deng

Institution: Beijing Institute of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Building Energy and Comfort Optimization

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137