In which sectors can energy efficiency do more?
The Energy Technology Perspectives 2020 published by the IEA, International Energy Agency, highlights a significant aspect.
In order to achieve the internationally agreed climate and energy targets — one of the most important being the reduction in CO2 emissions — action must be taken as soon as possible to develop and disseminate technologies that can guarantee clean energy for everyone.
But how should global and local energy policies be guided?
In its analysis of the international energy scenario, the IEA provides important insights by giving a precise picture of the sectors which record the highest energy consumption.
In the countries considered by the IEA, the leadership of this particular ranking lies with the transport sector, responsible for 36% of the world’s energy consumption. The manufacturing industry with 23% of consumption and the residential sector with 20% follow on the two lower steps of the podium.
Going into detail, we find that cars alone consume more energy than the entire residential sector and, together with road freight transport, they are the cause of more than ⅓ of CO2 emissions related to energy consumption.
For the residential sector, energy consumption in European countries is particularly significant, especially for heating and domestic appliances, which are also the main source of emissions: in certain countries, such as the Czechoslovak Republic, domestic heating is actually the leading cause of CO2 emissions.
In these sectors, targeted energy efficiency policies can do a lot to meet demand while reducing consumption.
This is clear if we look at the impact that energy efficiency measures in IEA countries have had on domestic heating consumption.
Building renovations, thermal insulation of buildings and modernisation of systems and boilers have generated enormous improvements. For example, residential space heating intensity — an indicator of energy consumption per floor area — has decreased significantly in most IEA countries: since 2000, France, Germany and Great Britain have recorded as much as a 30% reduction in domestic heating consumption.
Energy efficiency is rightly considered by many to be at the heart of the transition to a clean energy future. But for this to happen, we need action starting precisely where the impacts of energy efficiency can be most effective and concrete. And the analyses again seem to speak for themselves.
