Review of U.S. Policies on Building Energy Efficiency, Distributed Renewable Energy and Green Buildings

This report on U.S. BEE policies provides comprehensive information, a critical analysis, and specific recommendations to China's policymakers, building and construction industries, and other stakeholders with a view to helping China in her pursuit of reducing carbon emissions from buildings. We discuss the three topics in the order mentioned above, because building energy efficiency should be the first strategy to be adopted to reduce energy consumption. An energy efficient building economizes the needed investment in renewable energy technologies and facilities to further reduce carbon emissions. Green building design, a more holistic and advanced concept, encompasses additional environmental factors, notably energy embedment of building materials, impact of building location on automobile use, and the efficient and sustainable use of water.