A deficiency of electricity in many provinces this year, even before the peak season, shows the urgent need to reduce the power consumption of public buildings to meet the energy-saving targets of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

The Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Housing and Construction jointly released a document prohibiting the construction of power-guzzling buildings and clarifying the State policy of encouraging the renovation of public buildings for more efficient energy use.

The aim is to reduce the power consumption of public buildings by 10 percent per unit area on average by the year 2015, with a 15 percent reduction for the largest buildings.