China's Industrial Energy Audits: New Study From Lawrence Berkeley

A team of researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s China Energy Group recently released an in-depth study on China’s industrial energy auditing practices. Because China’s industrial sector accounts for roughly two thirds of China’s total energy consumption, industrial energy audits play a critical role in assessing the efficacy of China’s policies and progress in improving energy efficiency.

The study combines a review of China’s national policies and guidelines on energy auditing and a series of discussions with a variety of Chinese institutions involved in energy audits. The researchers found that China’s energy auditing practices have had a positive impact on improving energy efficiency and assisting Chinese enterprises with improving their energy management practices. The report suggests that these positive impacts would be enhanced if auditing was tied more to overall policy than to specific programs, and concludes with some policy recommendations for China that draw upon international best practices and aim to maximize the energy-saving potential of energy audits.

The full report can be downloaded here:
Energy Audit Practices in China: National and Local Experiences and Issues