Can you imagine living in a house with no air conditioner in the summer and no heating in the winter? Ren Jun, an architect and professor at Tianjin University, built such a house in suburban Beijing in 2019. The house is surprisingly suitable for living year round and is almost entirely powered by the solar energy it absorbs. 

The house, called Zero House, is the first in China to get the nearly zero-energy building (nZEB) license. It makes the best out of natural power sources, and saves energy by using insulation layers and passive doors and windows. Compared with energy-saving buildings that we currently have, energy consumption in nZEBs is 60-75 percent lower. 

China is set to build over 50 million square meters of nZEBs and super-low energy buildings by 2025. Some provinces and cities, such as Hebei, Jiangsu and Beijing, offer more policy support than others. Watch the video to learn how the Zero House model in Beijing can be promoted in more areas in China and whether solar-powered homes can become a new trend in the countryside.

About 'Living Green' series

As our planet sees more melting ice, heatwaves and other extreme weather events resulting from climate change, living a sustainable life becomes not only a choice but a necessity. This series will present various experimental methods to reduce ecological footprints and protect our environment, a tip on how to live a green life. 

How can you live a zero-waste life in Beijing?

(Cover image designed by CGTN's Li Yueyun. Video directed and edited by CGTN's Zhao Ying, filmed by Niu Tao and Dong Yifei)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)