This paper studies on the design principles of energy-saving house in Xi'an city, and aims to put forward measures for constructing ecological residential communities in this city. There are four parts of this paper. The first part points out the necessity of such research based on the climatic characters of Xi'an and the problems in housing development projects that overlook energy conservation; the second part proposes several design principles for energy-saving house, including using natural daylight, optimizing natural ventilation, arranging planting, water and pavement reasonably, using regenerative energy, improving quality of exterior construction, etc.; the third part uses a completed housing project in Xi'an to analyze the advantages of applying the above principles for energy conservation; and the last part draws a conclusion about design principles for energy-saving house in Xi'an.