Energy conservation sector records rise in companies and workers

China saw notable growth in both the number of companies and employees dedicated to energy conservation in 2024, an expansion that is contributing significantly to reducing the country's carbon emissions, according to a recent report.

Based on incomplete statistics, the number of newly registered energy conservation service enterprises across the country reached 2,388 last year, up by 17.3 percent year-on-year, according to the report unveiled by China Energy Conservation Association on Thursday.

This brought up the total number of registered energy conservation service providers to 16,189, it said.

Since the start of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–20) period, it said the total employed population in China has seen a gradual contraction, falling from about 762.5 million to around 734.4 million.

In a stark contrast, however, the number of employees in the energy conservation service industry surged from 652,000 in 2016 to over 1 million in 2024, achieving an average annual high growth rate of 4.8 percent, it said.

This trend has not only alleviated employment pressure in traditional industries but also optimized the employment structure by increasing the proportion of green employment, according to the report.

The report also noted a mild growth in the total output value of the energy conservation service industry in 2024.

Following a year-on-year growth of 1.5 percent, the sector's total output value reached roughly 528 billion yuan, it said.

It, however, highlighted a significant upswing in the sector's business activity beginning in the fourth quarter of last year.

Citing State Taxation Administration invoice data, the report noted a 26.8 percent year-on-year increase in revenue for services concerning energy-saving technology promotion between October 2024 and February 2025.

Despite significant fluctuations since 2016, the industry's total output value has shown a gradual recovery over the past two years, signaling a stable and positive trend, it said.

The report underscored the great contribution made by the energy conservation service sector to carbon emission reductions.

In 2024, the new investment in energy performance contracting projects alone resulted in the saving of almost 45.4 million metric tons of standard coal, which is equivalent to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by almost 111.7 million tons, it said.

If the same energy savings were pursued through photovoltaic power generation, the report said it would necessitate installing roughly 12 billion square meters of solar panels, which can cover almost 1.7 million standard football courts.

"However, the cost of doing so would be at least twice that of energy efficiency measures, not to mention constraints related to land resources and grid integration capacity," it said.