China’s New Cooling Tower Energy Efficiency Standard: Compliance Upgrade and Retrofit Window

The mandatory national standard “Energy Efficiency and Water Efficiency Limit Values and Grades for Wet Cooling Towers” has entered the public comment phase, with implementation set for 12 months after publication.

In July 2026, China’s Standardization Administration officially released the draft for public comment of the mandatory national standard “Energy Efficiency and Water Efficiency Limit Values and Grades for Wet Cooling Towers” (Project No. 20254329-Q-469). The introduction of this standard marks the official entry of China’s cooling tower industry into the era of dual control over energy efficiency and water efficiency.

Core Requirements of the New Standard

According to the draft, the new standard will:

Specify energy efficiency grades, water efficiency grades, technical requirements, and test methods for wet cooling towers.
Apply to mechanical draft wet cooling towers and natural draft wet cooling towers.
Not apply to hybrid (dry-wet combined) cooling towers.
Compress the drift rate limit for conventional open towers to

 0.004%.

Mandate fog elimination structures in areas with high winter white plume occurrence.

The new standard will provide a 12-month transition period after publication before full implementation. This means cooling tower manufacturers and users have approximately one year to complete product compliance adjustments.

Why This Standard Matters

This is the first time China has incorporated both energy efficiency and water efficiency into a mandatory national standard for cooling towers. Previously, there was no unified mandatory evaluation standard for cooling tower energy and water efficiency, resulting in uneven product quality across the market.

Implementation of the new standard will:

Establish market access thresholds

 – Equipment exceeding the energy and water efficiency limits will face elimination pressure.

Drive industry consolidation

 – Technologically lagging small manufacturers will be eliminated.

Create retrofit demand

 – Existing high-energy-consumption cooling towers must complete energy-saving retrofits by the end of 2026.

Accelerate technological upgrading

 – Water-saving fog elimination and high-efficiency heat transfer technologies will become standard.

The Retrofit Window for Legacy Open Cooling Towers Has Opened

Many industrial parks have already issued advance notices requiring existing high-energy-consumption cooling towers to complete energy-saving retrofits by the end of 2026. For factories and facilities with large numbers of aging open cooling towers, now is the critical time to evaluate retrofit solutions and select compliant products.

Arkora's Solutions

Arkora possesses comprehensive water-saving fog elimination cooling tower technology, including patented open-type fog elimination cooling tower technology.

 FKP Series packing-free spray cooling tower uses low-pressure centrifugal atomization technology, achieving 50% lower system resistance than fill-type towers, 10% higher cooling capacity, and 5dB lower noise.

 FFB/FNB/FHB Series closed-circuit cooling towers fully meet the new standard's strict requirements for water efficiency and drift rate.

For enterprises seeking compliance upgrades before the new standard takes effect, Arkora offers:

Energy efficiency retrofit assessment and solution design for existing cooling towers
Complete solutions for replacing open towers with high-efficiency closed towers
Customized application of water-saving fog elimination technology

Compliance Is Not the End—It Is the Starting Point for Competitive Upgrading

As the new mandatory standard moves toward implementation, early action will help manufacturers avoid compliance risks, reduce operating costs, and gain a competitive edge in energy and water efficiency.

Contact Arkora today to evaluate your cooling tower retrofit options and secure compliant, high-efficiency solutions before the new standard takes full effect.