Is Energy Efficiency Sustainable?

Malcolm Keay, OIES

This presentation looks at the links between energy efficiency and sustainability and concludes that they are much more complex than they might appear at first sight. The circumstances under which energy efficiency reduces energy demand, emissions and costs are discussed, including consideration of complexities such as rebound effects, elasticities and persistence of savings. Energy efficiency leads to sustainability when it leads to reduced demand, emissions and costs. To ensure this happens requires an integrated approach to the various systems issues. Policy needs to integrate energy efficiency and low carbon policies, monitor and measure properly and focus on areas where rebounds are less likely to be significant (e.g. storage, demand response, conversion efficiency) and contribution to sustainable systems likely to be greatest (e.g. smart grids, controls and communication, facilitation of non-fossil sources).