Energy efficiency and the direct and indirect effects of energy audits and implementation support programmes in Germany
(2021) In Energy Policy 157.- Abstract
Energy audits help to increase energy efficiency in industry and have proven effective in many studies. Additional implementation support programmes providing financial incentives have been developed to not only support audits but also to overcome financial barriers to energy efficiency investments. Because the different types of programmes coexist, we argue that a precise analysis of their effects must explicitly model them together, demonstrating non-trivial direct and indirect effects of both audits and financial programmes on the adoption of energy efficiency measures. We corroborate the presence of these direct and indirect effects with data on German firms, all of which have participated in an energy audit programme and some of... (More)
Energy audits help to increase energy efficiency in industry and have proven effective in many studies. Additional implementation support programmes providing financial incentives have been developed to not only support audits but also to overcome financial barriers to energy efficiency investments. Because the different types of programmes coexist, we argue that a precise analysis of their effects must explicitly model them together, demonstrating non-trivial direct and indirect effects of both audits and financial programmes on the adoption of energy efficiency measures. We corroborate the presence of these direct and indirect effects with data on German firms, all of which have participated in an energy audit programme and some of which have additionally received financial implementation support. Audits not only affect the adoption of energy efficiency measures directly, they also increase the likelihood of receiving financial implementation support, which in turn increases the adoption rate. Furthermore, our findings highlight that consultancy during implementation is an important factor for adoption. Accordingly, additional supporting policies should be considered in future energy audits, for example to ensure assistance during implementation.
(Less)
- author
- Schubert, Torben LU ; Breitschopf, Barbara and Plötz, Patrick
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021-10
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Energy audit, Energy efficiency, Indirect effects
- in
- Energy Policy
- volume
- 157
- article number
- 112486
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85111929070
- ISSN
- 0301-4215
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112486
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Funding Information: Therefore, in addition to providing financial support for the audit, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy also set up a funding scheme and loan scheme for companies that have carried out an energy audit and plan to invest in energy efficiency. The funding scheme for cross-cutting technologies supports SMEs in investing in energy efficient cross-cutting technologies. It is administered by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) and was launched in 2012. It requires a minimum investment of €2000 for the replacement of inefficient motors, pumps or equipment. The low-interest loan scheme administered by KfW is available for all investments in machinery and equipment in the field of energy efficiency. Companies may apply to both financial support schemes. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier Ltd Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
- id
- 579b6fb0-7b45-4a3c-844a-e1548b2c3e27
- date added to LUP
- 2021-08-26 07:23:33
- date last changed
- 2024-01-20 11:02:21
@article{579b6fb0-7b45-4a3c-844a-e1548b2c3e27,
abstract = {{<p>Energy audits help to increase energy efficiency in industry and have proven effective in many studies. Additional implementation support programmes providing financial incentives have been developed to not only support audits but also to overcome financial barriers to energy efficiency investments. Because the different types of programmes coexist, we argue that a precise analysis of their effects must explicitly model them together, demonstrating non-trivial direct and indirect effects of both audits and financial programmes on the adoption of energy efficiency measures. We corroborate the presence of these direct and indirect effects with data on German firms, all of which have participated in an energy audit programme and some of which have additionally received financial implementation support. Audits not only affect the adoption of energy efficiency measures directly, they also increase the likelihood of receiving financial implementation support, which in turn increases the adoption rate. Furthermore, our findings highlight that consultancy during implementation is an important factor for adoption. Accordingly, additional supporting policies should be considered in future energy audits, for example to ensure assistance during implementation.</p>}},
author = {{Schubert, Torben and Breitschopf, Barbara and Plötz, Patrick}},
issn = {{0301-4215}},
keywords = {{Energy audit; Energy efficiency; Indirect effects}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Energy Policy}},
title = {{Energy efficiency and the direct and indirect effects of energy audits and implementation support programmes in Germany}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112486}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112486}},
volume = {{157}},
year = {{2021}},
}