The terminals' operating characteristics of energy use and indoor environment must be well understood, which is of great significance to guide the construction of green airport that minimize the energy usage while providing good indoor service quality. These must be well understood to guide the construction of airport terminals that minimize the energy usage while providing quality indoor environments. This study was based on questionnaires of the energy consumption of 22 terminals in China and measurements of the indoor environmental quality in 9 terminals in different climate zones in China. The results show that the annual electricity consumption of Chinese airport terminals is 129~281 kWh/(m²·a) or 0.79~3.15 kWh/person with averages of 180 kWh/(m²·a) and 1.90 kWh/person. The air conditioning and lighting systems are the largest power draws, accounting for 61% and 17% of the total building electricity consumption. During the summer, the temperature and humidity in public areas meets the level I comfort level standard with less than 50%. During the winter, the temperature and humidity normally meet the level Ⅱ comfort level with 71%~96%. Conditions can become out of compliance on very hot summer days due to high solar radiation levels or on warm winter days due is overheating. The surveys also show that the average indoor CO₂ levels are less than 700×10^-6 in the terminals. The natural lighting in most public areas in the building during the day reaches 300~500 lx, with the nighttime illumination being far less than the standard requirement of 200 lx. The indoor noise levels are high with averages between 55 and 70 dB and some minimums higher than 60 dB even without announcements. The results were further combined with subjective questionnaires of 4 500 passengers to identify 10 key issues and to recommend 11 technical and management methods to reduce energy use and improve indoor air quality and building services. This research agrees well with current design practices and research on energy saving and indoor air quality improvement in airport terminals, which also provides a solid data foundation, scientific technical support and guarantee for the construction and development of green airports in China.