Under normal circumstances, people spend more than 90% of their time indoors. During this epidemic, people were generally "confined" and spent more time indoors. As a result, the comfort of the indoor environment has drawn more widespread attention.

Ultra-low energy consumption buildings, as structures with energy consumption levels far lower than those of conventional buildings, not only meet people's demands for high-quality, healthy and comfortable living, but also conform to the national trend of green, low-carbon and sustainable development. In the future, they will generate huge demand and broad market space.

Meanwhile, the construction of green cities also demands the vigorous development of ultra-low energy consumption green buildings, which encompasses both the "green" construction process and the "green" usage process of buildings. The former achieves green construction by standardizing the production of some key components in factories to reduce on-site construction operations. The latter enables buildings to operate in an ultra-low energy consumption state with an energy-saving rate of over 90% to achieve constant temperature, humidity, oxygen, cleanliness and quietness. Such buildings will be more comfortable and healthy to use, which is also the advantage of ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

In addition, the urgency of energy conservation, air pollution prevention and control, and promoting the upgrading of related industrial chains is also the driving force for vigorously developing ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

At present, many cities in our country are under dual pressures of energy conservation and air pollution prevention and control. There is an urgent need to accelerate the development of ultra-low energy consumption buildings to reduce energy consumption, decrease energy and resource consumption, improve the living quality of residents, and at the same time drive technological innovation and transformation and upgrading throughout the entire industrial chain, from upstream to downstream.

According to estimates, by the end of 2018, the total area of urban and rural buildings in China had reached 62 billion square meters. Compared with the huge construction market, the proportion of ultra-low energy consumption buildings can be said to be insignificant. The main reasons are that the incremental cost of ultra-low energy consumption buildings is too high, and at the same time, people's perception of the advantages of ultra-low energy consumption buildings is low, resulting in a low market share of ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

So how can ultra-low energy consumption buildings seize the golden opportunity for development? In my opinion, efforts should be made in the following three aspects:

First, it is necessary for the government, industry, academia, research institutions and users to make joint efforts to achieve the large-scale promotion of ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

At present, ultra-low energy consumption buildings in China are still in the initial stage of development. It is necessary for the "government, industry, academia, research and application" to focus on the core of "application" to enhance social awareness and consumer consciousness. Under the premise of meeting quality requirements, the incremental cost can be reduced through scale.

The large-scale approach can be achieved by integrating with the renovation of old residential areas, the construction of rural houses, and prefabricated buildings. At the same time, we should vigorously promote the advantages of ultra-low energy consumption buildings, mainly focusing on the core of "health and comfort", so that consumers can perceive and experience them, and transform people from passive demands to active acceptance.

Only when consumers accept it will the market share of ultra-low energy consumption buildings increase significantly. Investors who "see a rabbit before shooting an eagle" and real estate developers who pay attention to the development of new technologies will then invest real money in ultra-low energy consumption buildings.

Second, it is necessary to combine ultra-low energy consumption buildings with the integrated technology of building insulation and structure.

At present, the external wall insulation of ultra-low energy consumption buildings is still mainly in the form of pasting insulation boards and plastering, with a small number of forms such as sandwich insulation wall panels. Due to the problems inherent in the technology and during the construction process, there may be hidden dangers such as detachment, fire and condensation.

Combining ultra-low energy consumption buildings with the integrated technology of building insulation and structure can integrate many advantages such as energy conservation, fire prevention, durability and earthquake resistance, achieving the same lifespan of the insulation layer and the main body of the building - the building does not need to be demolished and the insulation does not deteriorate, thus achieving an organic combination in terms of safety and durability.

Third, technical standards for ultra-low energy consumption buildings and corresponding incentive measures should be formulated.

The technical standards and incentive measures formulated by the state and local authorities can provide a "dual-wheel drive" for the development of ultra-low energy consumption buildings in China, facilitating their rapid growth.

The latest national standard formulated at present is the "Technical Standard for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings" promulgated on January 24, 2019. Some localities have also successively issued local standards for ultra-low energy buildings, such as the "Energy Efficiency Design Standard for Ultra-Low Energy Residential Buildings in Henan Province" released by Henan Province.

The interim measures for the management of demonstration projects and reward funds of ultra-low energy consumption buildings in Beijing, Hebei Province, Zhengzhou City, Qingdao City and other places have also been successively released. During the epidemic, Henan Province also issued a notice on the "Ten Opinions on Supporting the Transformation and Development of the Construction Industry", stipulating that the additional external wall insulation part of prefabricated low energy consumption and ultra-low energy consumption buildings shall not be included in the floor area ratio calculation. But this aspect still needs improvement.