The Multiple Benefits of the 2030 EU Energy Efficiency Potential

Abstract

The implementation of energy efficiency improvement actions not only yields energy and greenhouse gas emission savings, but also leads to other multiple impacts such as air pollution reductions and subsequent health and eco-system effects, resource impacts, economic effects on labour markets, aggregate demand and energy prices or on energy security. While many of these impacts have been studied in previous research, this work quantifies them in one consistent framework based on a common underlying bottom-up funded energy efficiency scenario across the EU. These scenario data are used to quantify multiple impacts by energy efficiency improvement action and for all EU28 member states using existing approaches and partially further developing methodologies. Where possible, impacts are integrated into cost-benefit analyses. We find that with a conservative estimate, multiple impacts sum up to a size of at least 50% of energy cost savings, with substantial impacts coming from e.g., air pollution, energy poverty reduction and economic impacts.

Towards a More Realistic Cost–Benefit Analysis—Attempting to Integrate Transaction Costs and Energy Efficiency Services

“…It should be acknowledged that our research focused on extending the information on costs, while there is also an increasing body of research concentrating on multiple benefits [21]. If additional benefits associated with energy efficiency are taken into account (multiple), it can be assumed that the CBA may become more positive, even for investors.…”

“…Data is gathered by conducting a meta-analysis, which is complemented by expert interviews with a limited number of energy advisors. More research is needed, e.g., to also quantify "multiple" investor benefits [20] from energy efficiency investments, as the data base is limited and methods are not sufficiently developed or are highly subjective (see, e.g., [21,22]).…”

Advances Toward a Net-Zero Global Building Sector

“…The continuous supply of fresh, filtered air and the extraction of contaminated air maintains low CO 2 levels and reduces other health risks. This has motivated schools to opt for retrofits involving heat recovery ventilation; additionally, due to the low CO 2 levels, the efficacy of teaching does not decrease toward the end of the class (214)(215)(216).…”

The strategic use of auctioning revenues to foster energy efficiency: status quo and potential within the European Union Emissions Trading System

“…Investing auctioning revenues to further strengthen EU energy efficiency policy could reinforce the EU ETS and reduce the economic and societal costs of GHG emission reductions, because: Investing auctioning revenues in energy efficiency can help to realise a larger fraction of cost-effective emissions reduction potential . Recent evidence shows that there exists a large and untapped potential for cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in EU Member States (Thema et al 2019 ). Realising this potential would accelerate GHG emission reductions and, because it is cost-effective and would save more than it would cost in many instances, reduce the economic cost of reaching decarbonisation targets.…”

“…1 On a global scale, the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently concluded that improvements in end-use energy efficiency could deliver at least 35% of the total emission reductions needed by 2050 to avoid drastic global climate disruption (IEA 2018 ). Thus, capturing the existing untapped and cost-effective potential for end-use energy efficiency improvements (IEA 2018 , Thema et al 2019 ) should logically be a major goal of climate policy. However, the EU ETS, Europe’s key tool to reduce GHG emissions, is not able to overcome the various non-price barriers to energy efficiency because a carbon pricing instrument alone does not address lack of information, behavioural failures and liquidity constraints (e.g.…”