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Household energy consumption by end-use in the EU-27: Share of energy consumption by end uses in total households consumption in percent.
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Final electricity consumption by sector (ENER 018) - Assessment published Apr 2012: Over the period 1990-2009 final electricity consumption increased by 26.4% in the EU-27 countries at an average annual growth of around 1.2% per year. In non-EU EEA countries, the electricity consumption increased by 68.3% over the same period, at a much higher annual growth rate of 2.8%. In the EU-27, the strongest growth was observed in the services sector (including agriculture) (66.8%), followed by households (39.0%) and the transport sector (13.2%). The observed increase is the consequence of the attractiveness of electricity as an energy carrier. However, the industrial sector has seen a decrease in electricity consumption compared to 1990 levels (-0.7%). Between 2008 and 2009, however, final electricity consumption decreased by 5.0% in the EU-27 countries and 3.8% in the non-EU EEA countries due to the economic recession.
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The Netherlands — expenditure: Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Energy intensity in the service sector (ENER 024) - Assessment published Apr 2012: Over the period 2000-2009, the energy intensity (energy consumption at normal climate [1] per unit of value added) in the service sector decreased in the EU-27 by 1 %/year on average, showing a relative decoupling between energy consumption and activity (value added). Over the period 2005-2009 this intensity decreased by 1.8%/year, with a reverse trend in 2009 (+0.3%). In the same time energy consumption decreased by 0.3%/year (-1.9% in 2009) reaching 143 Mtoe in 2009 (117 Mtoe in 1990, 145 Mtoe in 2005). Electricity consumption per employee in EU-27 increased by 12%, at an annual growth rate of 1.3%, due to increased use of air conditioning in southern countries and of IT and other electrical equipment. This led to an increase in the electricity intensity of the service sector in EU-27 (electricity consumption per unit of value added) of 8% over the period 2000-2009 at an annual growth rate of 0.8% (same annual changes from 2005-2009). From 2005 to 2009 the electricity consumption per employee increased quite more rapidly (+1.1%/year and +3.2% in 2009). The electricity consumption per employee reached 4850 kWh/employee in 2009 (4645 kWh/employee in 2005, 4328 kWh/employee in 1990). [1] Energy intensity at normal climate (i.e. corrected for climatic variations)
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Electricity consumption per capita (in kWh/cap) in 2008: The average electricity use per capita in the EU-27 is over 2.3 times the global average and 2.8 times that of China. Only Luxembourg, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland are using more electricity per capita than in the United States. The rest of the EU-27 is well below the US
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Energy consumption by transport mode in the EU-27: The figure shows the share of energy consumption by mode in total transport in EU-27
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Living in a consumer society: Decades of relatively steady growth in Europe have changed the way we live. We produce and consume more goods and services. We travel more and live longer. But the environmental impacts of our economic activities at home and abroad have become bigger and more visible. Environmental legislation, when implemented thoroughly, achieves results on the ground. After taking a look at what has changed in the last twenty years, however, can we say that we are doing our best
Located in Signals — every breath we take › Signals 2012 › Articles
Living in an interconnected world: '…the sheer weight of the combined aspirations and lifestyles of 500 million Europeans is just too great. Never mind the legitimate desires of many other billions on our planet to share those lifestyles.... We will need to change the behaviour of European consumers. To work on people's awareness and to influence their habits.' Janez Potočnik, European Union Commissioner for Environment (March 2010).
Located in Signals — every breath we take › Signals 2011 › Articles
Consuming unsustainably: Key message: A major reason why consumption negatively affects the environment and causes over-use of resources is because the costs to society of environmental and resource degradation are not fully reflected in the prices of goods and services. Many goods are cheap even though they harm the environment, ecosystems or human health. (SOER 2010)
Located in Signals — every breath we take › Signals 2011 › Articles
EEA Signals 2012 – Building the future we want: Signals 2012 brings together environmental issues such as sustainability, green economy, water, waste, food, governance and knowledge sharing. It is prepared in the context of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development — Rio 2012. This year's Signals will give you a flavour of how consumers, forward-thinking businesses and policymakers can make a difference by combining new technological tools — from satellite observations to online platforms. It will also suggest creative and effective solutions to preserve the environment.
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