(File photo)

A reporter with Beijing Times recently reported that the public rental apartments in the Jiaohuachang area of Beijing will soon adopt new energy saving technologies.

Three of the buildings will not be equipped with central heating systems. However, with the energy-saving technologies, the apartments in these buildings will nevertheless maintain indoor temperatures between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. Such buildings are also called "passive homes." It is the first time that this technology is being applied to housing in Beijing.

According to an official at the Beijing Security Housing Investment Center, a building's outer wall insulating layer is normally 8 centimeters thick; however, the insulation in the energy-saving buildings will be 25 centimeters thick. It is like wearing a down jacket in winter; the heat inside cannot easily escape. 

Meanwhile, each room will be equipped with a central ventilation system, and one of the functions of the system is heat recovery. A special heat storage device will retain the heat and use it to raise the temperature of cool air drawn into the system. 

During summer, the central ventilation system can be used for cooling, too. The system even has a refrigeration function that can blow cool air into rooms. Although the system has a cooling function, it consumes much less power than air conditioning units installed by individual households. 

Currently, the energy saving rate of Beijing's standard buildings is 75 percent; however, the energy saving rate of these special buildings will be over 90 percent.