Energy: A new guide by ENEA on indirect benefits of energy efficiency

ENEA has released a free online guide for businesses, energy managers and policy makers on the indirect benefits of energy efficiency. The publication highlights 13 indirect environmental, social and increased productivity and competitiveness benefits that businesses can gain from implementing energy efficiency measures, amplified by 2.5 times through the additional economic advantages.

These benefits were identified through the analysis of energy diagnoses^[1]received by ENEA and discussions with organizations and trade associations. More specifically, the benefits relate to processes and products (increased productivity, reduced consumption of raw materials and/or increased recycling, and decreased time/costs related to maintenance), environmental sustainability (reduced CO2 emissions, water consumption, waste and/or waste), work environment (improved occupational safety, organizational-management processes and work well-being) and other aspects like improved corporate reputation.

To understand the indirect benefits of energy efficiency measures, stakeholders from multiple sectors were involved utilizing surveys and comparisons. The collaborations initiated included that with Unionplast, which has the largest number of diagnoses submitted to ENEA. Specifically, 67 companies specializing in plastics processing participated in the survey, most of them small to medium-sized (75 percent), energy-intensive (90 percent) and with high energy maturity (96 percent have prepared an energy diagnosis)^[2]. 

Three energy-efficiency interventions specific to the plastics industry (replacement of traditional presses with hybrid or electric models; optimization of cooling/heating systems; insulation of process equipment) and three additional interventions applicable across the entire manufacturing sector (efficiency upgrading of electric motors; installation of renewable self-consumption systems; implementation of management systems) were identified and studied. The replacement of presses appears to be the intervention with the most widespread impact affecting nearly all 13 areas. In contrast, the replacement of electric motors has a significant impact only in terms of lower maintenance and emissions.

 “Energy efficiency extends beyond saving energy, but it is also about knowing and being able of quantifying the indirect benefits that make efficiency measures even more cost-effective, as they have a shorter payback period” explained Carlos Herce at the ENEA Energy Efficiency Department. "In recent years, organizations such as the European Commission and the International Energy Agency have recognized the importance of these benefits, emphasizing the need to incorporate them in legislative and decision-making processes. Despite this, there remain many obstacles to their valorization, which the ENEA guide helps to overcome by providing concrete tools for all those working in the energy and sustainability sector", the researcher concluded.