Looking at the building of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning in Nanlishi Road, pedestrians would find it hard to believe that its energy consumption is 13 per cent lower than buildings with the same dimensions in Beijing, a striking contrast, but a true one.

Qiu Yue, vice-director of the commission, said the commission has adopted unique technologies from Johnson Control, which ranks 200th among Fortune 500 companies, in a bid to realize energy efficiency.

Since early 2005, the commission has been researching how to enhance energy efficiency of large public buildings in urban Beijing, especially government department complexes, and how to create an environment based on resource conservation for offices.

The renovation project was listed as one of the top 10 energy-saving projects in the city by the Beijing municipal government last year.

"Wasted energy in buildings accounts for a large share of energy consumption. To help enhance energy efficiency, we have worked out a series of solutions for the commission," said Wilson W. M. Sun, vice president and managing director of Johnson Controls in China, "Although we have seen remarkable progress so far, energy consumption will be reduced substantially in the near future."

After in-depth on-site analysis by experts from Johnson Control, they found the building complex, comprised of three single buildings, lacked advanced technology and efficient energy management.

They helped the commission work out a complete renovation solution, including an upgrade of its lighting, chilled water system, fan coil unit, heating, heat pump recycling, and building automation systems.

The entire lighting system, specifically the control methods of the lighting, has been changed through state-of-the-art technology.

In the heating system, the repair and control of plate-type heat exchangers and special controllers have significantly helped to improve energy efficiency.

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