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The pulp and paper industry is one of the five most energy-intensive industries world-wide. In Sweden, most pulp and paper mills were certified with a standardized energy management system already in 2005. As Swedish mills have more than a decade of experience with energy management systems and energy key performance indicators (KPIs), studying KPIs within Swedish pulp and paper mills will enable both a state-of-the-art positioning of best-practice in relation to energy KPIs in pulp and paper mills, but also spot potential barriers and drivers in the utilization of energy KPIs. This paper studies the current level of implementation and operationalization of energy-related KPIs in the Swedish pulp and paper industry. The results show a potential for improvement. • Pulp and paper mills' level of implementation of energy-related KPIs is studied. • 25% of the mills apply best practice regarding the establishment of energy KPIs. • Pulp and paper mills can potentially improve their monitoring of energy KPIs. • Lack of resources is a major barrier to implementing relevant energy KPIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition to a low-carbon, energy-efficient economy presents an opportunity to enhance the sustainability and competitiveness of manufacturing firms. The integration of energy-efficiency solutions into products resembles the concept of servitization that is now a lever for product competitiveness and, in turn, business performance. Based on empirical data from 293 manufacturers of electrical equipment or machinery and equipment, this paper analyzes the relation between energy-efficiency servitization capacity and performance using two structural equation models. To test the mediating role of servitization capacity, the first model uses strategic analysis of competitive structure to predict business performance, while the second model uses knowledge of the regulatory framework. Results suggest that both strategic analysis of competitive structure and knowledge of the regulatory framework positively influence performance via improving servitization capacity. With demand for new energy-efficient products expected to increase, products with a reduced energy footprint and energy-management services are needed for industrial processes to contribute to decarbonizing the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, increasing interest has been shown in targeting energy efficiency as a roadmap for carbon mitigation, limiting energy use, improving buildings' energy performance, and reducing energy consumption for achieving sustainable buildings. This article presents a systematic review to provide the best practices in this area and identify the challenges, motivations, recommendations, and pathways for future work. Discussing the methodological aspects gives insights for future researchers. This research used papers published on three scientific and reliable databases—Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and IEEE Xplore-from 2014 to May 23, 2021. The selected papers reached N = 134 based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and divided into review papers, proceeding conference, and articles. The review articles (N = 16/134) give an overall view on improving energy efficiency to achieve sustainability in buildings by using green building rating systems, developing and implementing policies, technology utilization, adopting techniques, and applying strategies. The conferences (N = 33/134) and articles (N = 85/134) focus more on details of different aspects of improving energy efficiency by reducing environmental, economic, social, and other impacts. A few articles proposed multiple-criteria decision-making methods to solve energy efficiency gaps for promoting sustainability in buildings. Achieving energy efficiency toward sustainable buildings is a hot topic in the sustainable development area. The outcomes from this paper will provide a valuable reference to stakeholders, governments, and decision-makers and give suggestions from the selected past studies. This review will provide motivation and attract future research endeavors in the field. ● Map the research landscape of energy efficiency in sustainable buildings into a coherent taxonomy. ● Determine the motivations of using energy efficiency in sustainable and green buildings. ● Highlight the main challenges that hinder the achievement of sustainable buildings by targeting energy efficiency. ● List recommendations to improve the acceptance of used energy efficiency in sustainable and green building's profile in the literature. ● Present pathways for future research as guidelines for future researchers to explore more about sustainable and green buildings by targeting high energy efficiency. ● Determine the methodological aspects for limitation of previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency enhancement in the building sector is crucial due to the escalating energy cost and continuously depleting energy resources. The energy consumed by electrical appliances, which is categorized under miscellaneous electric loads (MELs), often takes a significant portion of the total energy consumption in buildings and it is increasing rapidly. With the growing number of MELs being used in the semi-periphery countries, driven by higher economic and population growth rates, efficient use of these small and energy-consuming devices is essential to make buildings more sustainable. This paper reviews the energy management opportunities (EMOs) of MELs in both commercial and residential buildings in Malaysia by taking the legislative and regulatory requirements of such appliances into consideration. Two case studies were carried out to identify the EMOs of the MELs in Malaysian buildings and a comparison was made with the findings of previous research studies. Several issues related to MELs are also highlighted, such as the distribution and marketing of uncertified electrical items, absence of mandatory energy efficiency testing and labelling requirements on certain appliances, extension of regulatory coverage to the presently non-regulated equipment and awareness of the locals about purchasing certified electrical products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The building sector plays a key role in the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the European Union (EU). The revision of the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) sets out how Europe can achieve a decarbonised building stock by 2050. This paper offers an overview of the recent policy developments and examines the introduced provisions on new and existing buildings. While nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) remains the current building standard since 2011 for new buildings, zero emission buildings (ZEBs) are set as the future building target as of 2030. Accordingly, this paper provides insights into ZEBs, clarifying how and when this concept brought out. In particular, it discusses the key methodological aspects that ZEBs should address, outlining the decisive role of energy efficiency and renewable energy. This paper provides the main features of a pragmatic ZEB definition which should be distinguished from other building concepts. It suggests an approach to ZEBs calculations of grouping energy uses and associated emissions, as well as the steps to derive numerical benchmarks for operational energy. Furthermore, it examines the link with other policies as well as the market readiness for zero carbon buildings. The study points out how ZEBs are a crucial component of the EU strategy towards climate neutrality, able to trigger additional benefits, such as resilience, recyclability, security, and health. Within that framework, the ZEB concept must be promptly transposed, avoiding the downturn that characterized the initial NZEBs implementation. Giving the essential elements to move from a theoretical to an empirical ZEB level, this paper highlights how binding requirements based on a holistic approach are urgently needed in order to tackle GHG emissions in the building sector and move rapidly towards a climate neutral continent. • The main challenges around decarbonisation of the EU building sector are outlined. • An analysis of recent policy developments on buildings is provided. • The main elements around Zero Emission buildings (ZEBs) definitions are discussed. • The path and barriers for ZEBs implementation are depicted. • The differences between ZEBs and nearly zero energy buildings (NZEBs) are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this paper is to investigate the magnitude of the rebound effect for electricity end uses by Tunisian households. The direct rebound effect is estimated at about 81.7%, suggesting that only 18.3% of energy saving potential has been achieved. Moreover, the results show that removal of electricity subsidy, besides raising terminal electricity price, moderates these residential direct rebound effects. Overall, the rebound-effects are large in Tunisian residential households. Policy makers need to refine, adapt and extend the prevailing political energy efficiency policy to reduce these effects and achieve more efficient energy saving. In addition, they should support energyefficiency incentives with policies that cut down subsidies and increase electricity prices for households. To ensure that this will not affect people in poverty, the subsidy level should be differentiated according to household income level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data set of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2018, this paper decomposed the two-sided effects of environmental regulation on energy efficiency and calculated their net effects by using the two-tier stochastic frontier model. First, empirical research shows that environmental regulation has a less inhibiting effect than the promoting effect on energy efficiency, resulting in the net effect a visible positive feature. Second, the inhibition effects contributing to the total variance of energy efficiency only accounted for 0.10%, while the promotion effect was up to 99.90%. Third, the contribution of environmental regulation to energy efficiency has undergone a 'U-shaped' process over the period 2006–2018. Fourth, there were significant regional differences in the net effects of environmental regulation on energy efficiency, especially the disparities between the western, central and eastern parts of China. Fifth, environmental regulation has greater driving force on energy efficiency enhancement in regions with high level of regional development. Based on the research conclusions, it is necessary to implement environmental regulation policies address regional differences, adopt the supporting incentive mechanism for regions with good performance, and establish an inter-regional coordination and linkage mechanism for energy efficiency improvement driven by environmental regulation. • Analyze the bilateral and net effects of environmental regulation on energy efficiency. • The inhibition effect of environmental regulation on energy efficiency is smaller than the promotion effect. • There are regional differences in the driving effect of environmental regulation on energy efficiency. • The contribution of environmental regulation to energy efficiency followed a "U-shaped" process over the sample period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper first estimates the energy efficiency of 13 cities and 30 key industries in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region between 2008 and 2017 using the super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model. Structural deviation, Moore index, and coupling coordination degree quantify the cities' industrial restructuring, upgrading, and coordination. Afterward, the extended STIRPAT model reveals the relationship between energy efficiency and industrial structure. Finally, a coupling coordination degree model measures the coupling between energy efficiency and industrial advanced development coefficients in key industries. The results show a wide variation in energy efficiency between cities, with most cities experiencing a decline in energy efficiency. Industrial structure adjustment and upgrading are on the rise, and coordination is on the wane, with the most significant changes occurring in the cities around Beijing. In most cities, industrial structure adjustment, upgrading, and coordination on energy efficiency are negative, positive, and negative. The coupling imbalance of energy efficiency and industrial advanced development coefficients is the most apparent feature of the key sectors, and this feature is not improving. • An extended STIRPAT model is proposed to explore the impact of industrial structure on energy efficiency. • Coupling coordination degree is used to measure the rationality between industrial structure adjustment and upgrading. • Super-efficiency SBM model with undesirable outputs is used to measure energy efficiency. • Impacts of industrial structure adjustment, upgrade and coordination on energy efficiency are negative, positive, negative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a decarbonized future, electricity will likely play a much greater role in all aspects of the economy, while power generation will increasingly rely on intermittent sources such as wind and solar. In deep decarbonization studies of power systems, the most striking conclusions are usually on the generation side: the need of tens of GW of new clean generation capacities and storage are typical conclusions. However, these conclusions are the direct consequence of electricity demand projections, which usually get less attention and sometimes lack detailed explanation. At the very least, these projections are aggregated and suffer from a deficit of transparency in their methodology. A detailed knowledge of possible future load profiles, and how the evolution of their drivers influences their shape, is therefore very important to plan adequately energy and power requirements, as well as regional interconnections and storage. This paper uses a bottom-up approach based on the useful energy consumed in the residential, commercial, transportation and industrial sectors to explore the load profile sensitivity to key parameters. This approach is then used to provide hourly load profiles for a full year for the state of New York as an illustration. The impact of these key parameters is demonstrated through three scenarios: business as usual, accelerated electrification and energy efficiency breakthrough. Policy makers, planning for very ambitious penetration level of renewable energy generation capacity have to take into account the effect on electricity peak and total demand of their energy efficiency initiatives. • Load profiles are the starting point of power system planning. • The forecast literature on load profiles does not focus on actionable demand drivers. • Our bottom-up model illustrates how radically different load shapes can be. • By 2040, New York could evolve towards a 54 GW peak or a 25 GW one. • Energy efficiency in buildings and EV charging profile are actionable drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

District heating schemes can act as enablers for the use of low carbon heat sources. Heat rejected by industrial sites could potentially be used in supplying such schemes but various constraints limit the extent to which this is likely to occur. This study estimates the quantity of heat that could be supplied to district heating networks from industrial sites in Great Britain (GB), in the context of a range of limiting criteria. An existing spatially disaggregated database of GB's heat demands was combined with previous analysis of the magnitude, temperature and location of the heat that is rejected by industrial sites. The heat that could be supplied from the industrial sites to the heat demands was then calculated with a range of different criteria applied. The criteria which were considered included the maximum allowable distance between the heat sources and demands, the minimum heat density of the demands which was considered feasible, the heat losses that may occur, and the seasonal profile of the heat demands. The potential gains from using absorption heat pumps, driven by high temperature heat to supply lower grade heat were found to be limited. High and low estimates of the heat rejected by the industrial sites were compared. Domestic and non-domestic heat demands were examined. Although the domestic demands have a greater total, they tend to occur at lower densities and so it is likely that both demands will take a significant share of the heat supplied. The seasonality of the heat demands has a greater impact on the need for supplementary heat sources than on the total heat delivered. For the distance and heat demand density criteria considered most appropriate, only half of the heat which is rejected by industry could be utilised by district heating networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonisation of the global economy is necessary to achieve the climate targets set by the Paris Agreement at COP21. Significant investments are required in low-carbon technologies on the supply and demand side of energy systems; the scale of these may pose challenges to national economies. In this paper, an energy forecast model, a cost-optimisation model and an input-output model are combined to conduct an economy-wide assessment of policy pathways for energy transition in Cyprus. The results of the study indicate that a scenario with additional energy efficiency measures and a modal shift in the transport sector can reduce final energy consumption by 10% as compared to a reference case in 2030. The macroeconomic assessment shows that the measures have a moderate but positive effect on economic growth. The construction, metal products and transportation sectors are those mainly benefiting in terms of economic output generation, while the largest negative effects are observed in the energy sector. Our findings highlight the importance of targeted investments to ensure a positive impact of energy policies on the broader economy. • Energy forecast, cost-optimisation and input-output models are soft-linked • A dynamic input-output model is used for macroeconomic analysis of energy policies • Energy efficiency and sustainable mobility reduce overall investment requirements • Lower investments and reduced energy consumption do not compromise economic growth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments typically employ an indicator for energy intensity as their target to achieve national energy policies. By using all European Union member states as a sample and dividing them into Baltic Sea region (BSR) and non-Baltic Sea region (NBSR) countries in order to compare regional economic and energy matters, this study finds that the indicator of room for improvement in energy intensity (RIEI) correlates with energy efficiency (EE) and the energy technology gap ratio (ETGR). The research results show that introducing advanced energy technology and taking an energy management approach are ways in which BSR states can reduce their RIEI. As our study only considers NBSR countries, we see that they pay attention on improvements in energy technology, but ignore improvements in energy efficiency when their GDP per capita increases. Finally, we note that the inversed-U-shaped relationship between RIEI and GDP per capita is a better economic development type. • This study discusses the room for improvement in energy intensity. • This study also extends to energy efficiency and the energy technology gap ratio. • This paper presents a new energy efficiency measurement. • The application is on Baltic Sea region and non-Baltic Sea region states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]