Experts attending a symposium in Beijing have called for top priority to energy efficiency in buildings, in response to the new policies issued by the government.

"China has failed to realize its goal on energy saving in the past and now we need to make greater efforts to this end in the future," said Shi Dinghuan, an advisor to the State Council, at Tuesday's opening of the two-day Seminar on Quality Energy in Housing and Service Buildings.

Shi, former secretary-general of the Ministry of Science and Technology, urged to try every means to reduce energy consumption.

The Chinese government has issued a series of policies to encourage developers and other people to adopt energy-efficient technologies in building houses, according to Bai Quan, from the Energy Institute of the State Development and Reform Commission.

The scholar urged people to be patient, because "not until this new century Chinese have realized the importance of energy efficiency."

Both speakers urged the government to publish national standards on energy quality in buildings as early as possible.

Klause Ziegler, an official from the delegation the European Commission in China, briefed the participants on European methods to reach energy high quality. He confessed, however, that even the European Commission is yet to issue its own standards on the use of energy in housing.

According to the official schedule, China plans to cut energy consumption in housing by 110 million tons of standard coal.

The seminar is organized by the French-Chinese Training Center for Energy Related Professions, with the support of the Delegation of European Commission in China, the French embassy in Beijing, and the French Development Agency.

It is part of the Seventh China International Heating, Vention and Air-Conditioning Products and Technology Exhibition, which opened at the Beijing Exhibition Center on Tuesday. It will last through April 12.

(Xinhua News Agency April 10, 2007)