ECN: Monitoring
Energy Efficiency - Monitoring
Energy efficiency means that the same socio-economic activities are performed with less energy use. The resulting energy savings contribute substantially to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, lower the costs of energy use and decrease dependence on fossil energy sources.
For years many policy measures have been deployed to stimulate energy efficiency and energy savings. The realized energy savings are monitored closely to evaluate the effects of policy measures and to maximize the policy effects.
The realized energy savings are calculated according to the Protocol Monitoring Energy savings (PME).
Role for ECN Policy Studies
ECN Policy Studies plays an important role in supporting the Dutch government in formulating energy saving policy. This regards both ex-ante evaluation, i.e. composing scenarios for savings to be expected, as well as the ex-post monitoring of realized savings and evaluation of the effects of savings policy.
At the request of the Ministry of Economic Affairs the realized energy savings are calculated and reported annually.
Partners
The common approach of the protocol was set up in 2000 in collaboration with CPB, RIVM (now PBL) and Novem (now Agentschap NL), with assistance of CBS. Presently the annual saving results are published together with PBL, Agentschap NL and CBS.
More information
The original PME approach is described here. The following reports are available:
For the most recent version, 1995-2007, a summary is prepared, including a link to the full report. In 2010 PME has been updated. The description of the new version will be published soon.
Next to PME other methods are used in the Netherlands to calculate energy saving, e.g. savings resulting from programmes or policy measures. In the memo "Vergelijking methodieken energiebesparing" (October 2009, in Dutch -link) insight is given in the most important differences between the methods deployed for the second Long-term Agreement on energy efficiency (in Dutch: Meerjarenafspraken energie-efficiency or MJA2) and for PME.
Other relevant sources of information:
• Energiebesparing in Nederland, 1995-2006 (in Dutch)
• Meerjarenafspraken energie-effiency (MJA) (site in Dutch and English)
Next to the calculation of realized energy savings a new tool has been developed to specifically evaluate the effects of policy measures on energy savings. This new system will be published soon.
The new system for policy evaluation uses the same energy models as applied in drawing up the energy scenarios which you can find here.
For more information please contact Piet Boonekamp or Joost Gerdes.
