In the context of the new period, the living standards and comfort demands of rural residents are increasing, which promotes the continuous growth of the total energy consumption of rural residential buildings. In this study, it estimated the total energy consumption of rural residential buildings in 30 provinces (or cities) in China from 2004 to 2016. Through the division of climate regions of the residential buildings, this paper analyzed the characteristics of changes in the energy structure of residential buildings and the trend of energy consumption from the perspective of the province. Then based on the people's livelihood and from the perspective of development, it came up with some pertinent strategies and recommendations for energy saving and emission reduction in rural residential buildings.