The performance of building cooling heating and power (BCHP) system is obviously dependent upon the seasonal atmospheric conditions and the building types. This paper presents the energy flow analysis and the evaluation criteria of the redundant BCHP system and describes the optimal design method. The BCHP systems for four building categories (Hotel, Office, Hospital and School) in five climate zones (Severe Cold Zone, Cold Zone, Hot Summer and Cold Winter Zone, Mild Zone and Hot Summer and Warm Winter Zone) in China are compared and evaluated from energetic, economic and environmental aspects. The comparison results show that the BCHP system is generally suitable for the building, which operates for long time over the entire year, in the climate zone where buildings require more heat for space heating. Moreover, the influence analysis on BCHP capacity and operation strategy indicates that the capacity of power generation unit (PGU) is the most sensitive design parameter to influence the integrated performance of the BCHP system. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.