All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodiesDo something for our planet, print this page only if needed. Even a small action can make an enormous difference when millions of people do it!
Indicator Specification
The type and extent of energy-related pressures on the environment depends on the sources of energy and how and in which quantities they are used. One way of reducing energy-related pressures on the environment is to use less energy. This may result from reducing the demand for energy-related activities (e.g. for warmth, personal mobility or freight transport), or by using energy in a more efficient way (thereby using less energy per unit of demand), or from a combination of the two.
The indicator identifies to what extent there is a decoupling between energy consumption and economic growth, but it does not show any of the underlying reasons that affect the trends. A reduction in total energy intensity can be the result of positive improvements in energy efficiency or changes in energy demand resulting from other factors including structural, societal, behavioral or technical change.
Definition: Energy intensity is a ratio between the Total Energy Consumption and Gross Domestic Product calculated for a calendar year. Energy intensity can be provided as a list of energy intensity indicators: for industry, residential, tertiary and transport. The indicator can be presented measured in relative index where 1990th energy intensity level is measured as a point 100.
Model used: PRIMES
Ownership: European Environment Agency
Temporal coverage: 1990 - 2030
Geographical coverage: EU 15 : Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom; EU 12 : Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia
In absolute terms: toe/MEuro
Even though no target exists directly for total energy intensity, reducing energy intensity and increasing energy efficiency is a central objective for environmental integration in the energy sector. These aspects of improving energy efficiency are highlighted in a wide range of international policies.
The recent pan-european policies concerning different aspects of energy efficiency, consumption and, therefore, intensity have been developed under different international fora.
The Committee on Sustainable Energy seeks to reform energy prices and subsidies and ways how to carry out it to meet more sustainable energy production and consumption in the region (UNECE Guidelines).
Kiev Declaration "Environment for Europe" (2003) aims at supporting further efforts to promote energy efficiency to meet environmental objectives.
On 23 January 2008 the European Commission adopted the 'Climate Action and Renewable Energy' package. The Package sets a number of targets for EU member states with the ambition to achieve the goal of limiting the rise in global average temperature to 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times including: GHG reduction of 20% compared to 1990 by 2020. (under a satisfactory global climate agreement this could be scaled up to a 30% reduction); 20% reduction in energy consumption through improved energy efficiency, an increase in renewable energy's share to 20% and a 10% share for sustainably produced biofuels and other renewable fuels in transport. With these goals in mind, each Member State will by June 30th 2010 submit a National Renewable Energy Action Plan to the Commission.
EECA regions has a several number of declarations that do not have indicative and numeral targets and provide some issues relating to improvement of management and integration in energy sectors as well as their implementation into climate change policies. The main policy where this concepts are highlighted is EECCA Environmental Strategy.
No direct target exists for reducing total energy consumption intensity. However, several energy and environment targets are indirectly influenced by or directly influence changes in energy intensity, in particular:
The indicator of the Total energy intensity is produced using the PRIMES model. The model covers the horizon from 1990 to 2030 with 5 years periods. A fundamental assumption in PRIMES is that producers and consumers both respond to changes in prices.
PRIMES is a partial equilibrium model for the European Union energy system developed by, and maintained at, The National Technical University of Athens, E3M-Laboratory. The most recent version of the model used in the calculations covers each of the EU Member States, EU candidate countries and Neighbouring countries, uses Eurostat as the main data source, and is updated with 2000 as the base year. The PRIMES model is the result of collaborative research under a series of projects supported by the Joule programme of the Directorate General for Research of the European Commission.
The model determines the equilibrium by finding the prices of each energy form such that the quantity producers find best to supply match the quantity consumers wish to use. The equilibrium is static (within each time period) but repeated in a time-forward path, under dynamic relationships. The model is behavioural but also represents in an explicit and detailed way the available energy demand and supply technologies and pollution abatement technologies. It reflects considerations about market economics, industry structure, energy/environmental policies and regulation. These are conceived so as to influence the market behaviour of energy system agents. The modular structure of PRIMES reflects a distribution of decision-making among agents that decide individually about their supply, demand, combined supply and demand, and prices. Then the market-integrating part of PRIMES simulates market clearing. PRIMES is a general purpose model. It conceived for forecasting, scenario construction and policy impact analysis. It covers a medium to long-term horizon. It is modular and allows either for a unified model use or for partial use of modules to support specific energy studies.
For more information see here.
No methodology for gap filling has been specified. Probably this info has been added together with indicator calculation.
No uncertainty has been specified
No uncertainty has been specified
No uncertainty has been specified
Work specified here requires to be completed within 1 year from now.
Work specified here will require more than 1 year (from now) to be completed.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/total-energy-intensity-outlook-from-eea or scan the QR code.
PDF generated on 28 Mar 2024, 10:46 PM
Engineered by: EEA Web Team
Software updated on 26 September 2023 08:13 from version 23.8.18
Software version: EEA Plone KGS 23.9.14
Document Actions
Share with others