The Ministry of Construction's draft energy-saving regulation to rein in energy consumption in the sector is expected to get State Council approval soon, a senior official told "China Daily".

"The draft of the new regulation has passed through first-round evaluation by the State Council. The legislation office of the State Council has responded positively to the draft, saying 'there is no fundamental divergence involved'," said Wu Yong, head of the ministry's science and technology division. The "Architecture Energy-Saving Administrative Rule" is now subject to second-round evaluation by the legislation authority.

"The rule has been categorized as one of the legislation priorities of the State Council in 2006 and we expect it to be passed pretty soon," Wu said.

Statistics from the National Development and Reform Commission's energy research project centre demonstrate that per unit energy consumption of Chinese buildings is much higher than those in foreign countries. For example, the energy consumption of an external wall is four to five times that in foreign countries, while a roof is two and a half times the consumption and air-conditioners and heating devices are two to three times.

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