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Indicator Assessment
Final energy consumption in the EU-27 fell by 0.3 % from 2004 to 2005 but has increased by 9.3 % overall between 1990 and 2005. Transport has been the fastest-growing sector since 1990 and is now the largest consumer of final energy.
Final energy consumption in the EU-27 increased by 9.3 % between 1990 and 2005, thus to a large extent counteracting reductions in the environmental impact of energy production, which were achieved as a result of fuel mix changes and technological improvements (see energy and environment indicators on EEA website http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/energy/indicators). Between 2004 and 2005, final energy consumption fell slightly by 0.3 %. The fastest growing sector was transport, followed by households and services. Final energy consumption in industry fell on average during 1990-2005 although the bulk of the fall occurred during the early 1990s economic recession.
Transport was the fastest-growing energy-consuming sector in the EU-27 between 1990 and 2005, with final energy consumption increasing by almost 30 %. Improvements in fuel efficiency were offset by increases in passenger and freight transport demand. Higher transport demand has resulted from increased ownership of private cars, particularly in the new EU Member States, growing settlement and urban sprawl with longer distances and changes in lifestyle. Rapid increases in passenger aviation have contributed significantly to the increased transport demand. Aviation (domestic and international combined) represented about 12-14% of energy consumption in the transport sector in 2005 and grew by about 75% between 1990 and 2005. This is in part due to the growth of low- cost airlines, which have made this mode of transport more accessible to a larger section of the population. By 2005, transport became the largest consumer of final energy in the EU.
Household final energy consumption increased by about 16 % during 1990-2005 as rising personal incomes have permitted higher standards of living, with increases in comfort levels and the ownership of domestic appliances. Real electricity prices in households fell over the same period. Space heating and cooling is the most significant component of household energy demand, and can vary substantially from year to year depending on climatic variations. However, it is the demand for electricity from appliances that has increased most rapidly in recent years (by 50% between 1990 and 2004 according to the IEA).
Final energy consumption in services grew by about 22 % between 1990 and 2005. This was due to the continued increase in the demand for electrical appliances, in particular information and communication technology (such as computers and photocopiers), and also for other energy-intensive technologies such as air-conditioning. Higher summer land surface temperatures in Europe can also partly explain these trends (see core set indicator 'global and European temperature').
Final energy consumption in industry fell by about 11 % between 1990 and 2005. This was largely the result of a shift towards less energy-intensive manufacturing industries, as well as the continuing transition to a more service-oriented economy.
Final energy consumption covers energy supplied to the final consumer for all energy uses. It is calculated as the sum of final energy consumption of all sectors. These are disaggregated to cover industry, transport, households, services and agriculture.
The indicator can be presented in relative or absolute terms. The relative contribution of a specific sector is measured by the ratio between the final energy consumption of that sector and total final energy consumption calculated for a calendar year. It is a useful indicator which highlights a country's sectoral needs in terms of final energy demand.
Final energy consumption is measured in thousand tonnes of oil equivalent (ktoe).
Directive 2009/29/ec of the European parliament and of the Council amending directive 2003/87/ec so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the community
Directive 2009/31/ec of the European parliament and of the Council on the geological storage of carbon dioxide
Directive 2009/28/ec of the European parliament and of the Council on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources
Community guidelines on state aid for environmental protection (2008/c 82/01)
Directive 2008/101/ec of the European parliament and of the Council amending directive 2003/87/ec so as to include aviation activities in the scheme for greenhouse gas Emission allowance trading within the community
Regulation (ec) no 443/2009 of the European parliament and of the Council setting emission performance standards for new passenger cars as part of the community's integrated approach to reduce CO2 emissions from light-duty vehicles
Average annual rate of growth calculated using: [(last year/base year) ^ (1/number of years) -1]*100
The coding (used in the Eurostat database) and specific components of the indicator are:
The coding (used in the IEA database) and specific components of the indicator are:
No gap filling necessary
No methodology references available.
Any cross-country comparison of the distribution of final energy consumption between sectors will have to be accompanied by a relevant measure of the importance of the sector in the economy, as the sectoral shares also depends on the country's economic circumstances. Because the focus is on the reduction of final energy consumption and not on the sectoral redistribution of such consumption, the trends in the absolute values (in thousand tonnes of oil equivalent) should be preferred as a more meaningful indicator of progress. However, even if the same sectors in two countries are equally important to the economy, the gross (primary) consumption of energy needed before it reaches the final user might draw from energy sources that pollute the environment in different ways. Thus, from an environmental point of view, the final energy consumption of a sector should be analysed in that broader context.
The sectoral breakdown of final energy consumption includes industry, transport, households, services, agriculture, fisheries and other sectors. The projection data aggregates agriculture, fisheries and other sectors together with the services sector, and projections are based on such aggregation. To be consistent with these projections, the core set indicator uses the same aggregation. The inclusion of agriculture and fisheries together with the services sector is however questionable given their divergent trends. Separate assessments are therefore made where appropriate. It is worth noting that according to Eurostat final energy consumption in agriculture is not very reliable and it mainly means consumption from engines used for agricultural transportation. From next year a new definition will be used in the energy questionnaires to be more in line with the IPCC guidelines.
Data have been traditionally compiled by Eurostat through the annual Joint Questionnaires (shared by Eurostat and the International Energy Agency) following a well established and harmonised methodology. Data are transmitted to Eurostat electronically by using a common set of tables. Data is then treated to find inconsistencies and input in the database. Estimations are not normally necessary since annual data are complete.
No uncertainty has been specified
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/final-energy-consumption-by-sector-1/final-energy-consumption-by-sector-3 or scan the QR code.
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