Fact Sheet: U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Action Plan November 17, 2009

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President Barack Obama and President Hu Jintao announced the launch of a new U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Action Plan to strengthen the economy, improve energy security and combat climate change by reducing energy waste in both countries. The United States and China consume over 40 percent of global energy resources, costing businesses and households in the two countries roughly $1.5 trillion per year. Working together to improve energy efficiency in buildings, industry and consumer products, the United States and China can reduce spending on imported and highly polluting sources of energy and reinvest in new sources of economic growth and job creation. The U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Action Plan will help achieve this through:

• Green buildings and communities: The Action Plan will promote greener buildings through energy efficient building codes and labels, training building inspectors and developing advanced energy rating systems. The two countries will establish a Mayors Sustainable Cities Program where local officials from the two countries visit each other’s cities to share experiences and best practices in sustainable urban development and planning.

• Industrial energy efficiency: The Action Plan will reduce energy waste in industry through energy efficiency benchmarking, on-site energy audits and development of the tools and training programs to support these activities. Industry accounts for roughly half of the two countries’ combined energy consumption and the Action Plan will help ensure both countries meet their domestic energy efficiency goals.

• Consumer product standards: The Action Plan will promote energy efficient consumer products through harmonization of test procedures and performance metrics. The two countries will exchange best practices in energy efficient labeling systems and promote awareness of the benefits of energy efficient products.

• Advanced energy efficiency technology: The U.S. and China will work together to demonstrate energy efficient technologies and design practices, building onthe research and development work of the new U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center.

• Public-private engagement: The Action Plan will engage the private sector in promoting energy efficiency and expanding bilateral trade and investment through a new U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Forum that will be held annually, rotating between the two countries. The work of the Action Plan will also be supported by the U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program, a newly-formed public-private partnership with leading U.S. clean energy companies.

The U.S. and China are making unprecedented investments in energy efficiency. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes more than $17 billion in energy efficiency investments, including $5 billion for home weatherization and $4.5 billion to green federal buildings. China has set a goal of reducing the energy-intensity of economic activity by 20% in five years and has established a “Top 1000 Enterprise” program to ensure that the country’s largest industrial enterprises help meet the national efficiency target.

Other articles and documents on green energy:

Green Energy Programs in China and the U.S. | US-China Study on CO2 Storage | China’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions | Strategy for Clean Air and Energy Cooperation between EPA and SEPA | U.S.-China Renewable Energy Partnership | U.S.-China Energy Efficiency Action Plan | U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center | Politics and energy policy in post-Mao China | US-China Memorandum of Understanding to Enhance Cooperation on Climate Change, Energy, and the Environment | To Change the Mode of Development and Speed up the Restructuring of Energy Industry | Country Analysis Briefs: Taiwan | Country Analysis Briefs: China |  U.S.-China Energy Policy: Toward Closer International Partnerships | US Treasury Secretary Paulson on Energy and the Environment | China’s Energy Conditions and Policies | Sustainable Development in Asia: Coal, Oil, and Renewable Energy in China | 11th Five Year Plan on Energy Development | Engaging Developing Countries, House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing | Carolyn Cartier | Richard Louis Edmonds | David Zweig |