Energy Efficiency Index higher than ever

The energy revolution in companies shows no sign of stopping. The Energy Efficiency Index for Winter 2018/19 is higher than ever, at 2.24 points. This means that companies want to carry on saving energy and are also doing something about it. Since 2013, the Institute of Energy Efficiency in Production (EEP) at the University of Stuttgart has been surveying current and planned activities by German industrial companies in terms of energy efficiency on a bi-annual basis. The Energy Efficiency Index (EEI) is created in collaboration with the German Energy Agency (dena), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Fraunhofer IPA and TÜV Rheinland.

Energy efficiency is still a highly relevant topic for companies. The investments made over the last year and planned for the next twelve months have increased significantly, and the index as a whole is twice as high as six months ago. “The opportunities for companies to be more energy efficient are better than ever”, says Prof. Alexander Sauer, Head of the Institute of Energy Efficiency in Production (EEP) at the University of Stuttgart.

Around 950 companies from more than 20 different areas of industry answered special questions from the EEI, which change twice a year. 65 percent of large companies measure or estimate whether their energy efficiency measures have been a success. However, there is still further potential for very small companies, barely half of which monitor whether their energy efficiency measures have been a success.

Three quarters of all businesses are already capable of assigning their energy consumption to the production of individual products. Through this, companies become able to increase the energy productivity of their production processes in a targeted manner, and in so doing increase their competitiveness.

Over 80 percent of companies surveyed consider energy savings to be an important factor when making a decision. In terms of financial criteria, the amount of the investment, the payback time and the lifecycle costs are considered the most important.

Should purchasing energy and planning energy efficiency measures be managed as one? Two-thirds of all companies surveyed think that it makes sense to combine the responsibilities.

“The mood in the industry at the moment is very positive”, says Alexander Sauer. “This explains the readiness and the ability to act. What is required now is a solid energy policy framework which makes it possible for the measures identified to be implemented consistently by industry. This is an opportunity for Germany and for energy efficiency to position themselves as the main drivers of the energy revolution”, says Sauer.