Price elasticities of energy demand have become increasingly relevant in estimating the socioeconomic and environmental effects of energy policies or of other events with influence on the prices of energy goods. Since the 1970s a large number of academic papers have provided both short and long-term price elasticity estimates for different countries by using several models, data and estimation techniques. Yet the literature offers a rather wide range of estimates for the price elasticities of demand for energy. This paper quantitatively summarizes the recent, but still sizeable, empirical evidence on this matter to facilitate a sounder economic assessment of energy price changes. It does so by using meta-analysis to identify the main factors affecting the elasticity results, both short and long term, for energy in general as well as for specific products: electricity, natural gas, gasoline, diesel and heating oil. JEL Classification: C13, C83, Q41This piece of research carries out a meta-analysis with the procedure suggested by Nelson and Kennedy (2009) using the methodology of regression analysis (see also Stanley and Jarrell, 1989), that is, it performs a regression analysis employing the entire set of results selected from the literature and an extensive specification of the factors that determine these elasticities. The paper thus responds to the need to determine, as precisely as possible, the value of price elasticities of demand for energy in general as well as those for the demand of the abovementioned energy goods. As a secondary * . How sensitive to time period sampling is the asymmetric price response specification in energy demand modelling? Energy Economics, 40, 90-109. Agnolucci, P., 2009. The energy demand in the British and German industrial sectors: Heterogeneity and common factors. Energy Economics, 31, 175-187. Agostini, P., Botteon, M., Carraro, C., 1992. A carbon tax to reduce CO 2 emissions in Europe. Energy Economics, 14, 279-290. Ahmadian, M., Chitnis, M., Hunt, L.C., 2007. Gasoline demand, pricing policy and social welfare in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 31, 105-124.Ajanovic, A., Haas, R., 2012. The role of efficiency improvements vs. price effects for modeling passenger car transport demand and energy demand.

Economic theory predicts that high renewable electricity production reduces the price of electricity, also referred to as the "merit-order effect". Although the merit-order effect is only one of several consequences of renewable production on the electricity system, it is crucial to determine its size for the economic evaluation of renewable energies. In this paper we present a comprehensive overview of relevant past research results on the price effect of renewables. Additionally, we conduct a new empirical analysis of the price effect of renewable production for the Austrian-German region, a market that clearly qualifies for a merit-order effect analysis given its characteristics. Based on the review and our own analysis, we show that the merit-order effect varies depending on the region and the assessment method chosen. We also find that the size of this effect is less dispersed throughout different markets than previously suggested by the literature.

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Energy efficiency and conservation are major factors in the reduction of the environmental impact of the energy sector, particularly with regard to climate change. Energy efficiency also contributes to reducing external dependence and vulnerabilities in the energy domain. In this paper, we discuss the factors that influence energy efficiency and conservation decisions, and the most appropriate policies for their promotion. Although not all public policies seem justified, we argue that specific policies for promoting energy conservation may be required, preferably based on economic instruments or on the provision of information to consumers.