New buildings in Shanghai are expected to reduce energy consumption by 65 percent this year, according to the city government.

The government has issued guidelines on energy conservation and land-saving standards, aiming to save more power for the city's sustainable development.

The guidelines stipulate the goal of energy reduction by 2010, covering saving land resources, saving water and construction material recycling.

"Under national standards, new public construction projects must use materials that cut the use of energy by at least 50 percent, and Shanghai will take a leading position in saving 65 percent energy for a trial this year," said Pang Yuan, spokesman of the Shanghai Housing, Land and Resource Administration.

Under the plan, the materials used in the exterior walls, windows and doors of newly-built buildings in the city should meet the standard of heat insulation, and solar-powered equipment will be installed in the buildings which qualify.

Pang said attention would also be paid to saving land. By 2010, each apartment in new buildings should be reduced in area by 15 percent on average compared to 2005.

"According to the statistics in 2005, every apartment in the city occupies an area of 120 square meters on average, which is bigger than we expected," Pang said. "So we will develop more smaller and medium-sized apartments in new buildings."

The underground spaces of the buildings will also be made full use of, he said.

The guidelines also stipulate the city's water consumption in residents' daily lives should be under 155 liters per person in 2010.

"We found that the water landscaping in residential communities consumed much of the water resources, so we will take measures to avoid the gardens using water from taps directly," said Pang.

Meanwhile, more than 50 percent waste from the construction should be recycled in 2010.

Pang said that the city's existing buildings will undergo proper renovation to improve their energy efficiency.