Energy Use In Australia Continues To Decline
In line with other OECD economies, the energy intensity of the Australian economy continues to fall, declining by 1.1 per cent a year between 1989-90 and 2006-07, according to a new ABARE report.
“End use energy intensity in the Australian economy has been declining over the past 17 years, resulting in savings in energy consumption,” said Dr Terry Sheales, Deputy Executive Director, ABARE, on releasing the report End use energy intensity in the Australian economy.
Energy intensity is defined as the ratio of energy consumption to the level of economic output. The decline in energy intensity has been driven by two key factors: shifts in the structure of the Australian economy to relatively less energy intensive sectors, and improvements in energy efficiency.
“Improvements in energy efficiency have played a key role in limiting increases in energy consumption. These improvements have occurred in a wide range of sectors including the manufacturing, services, transport and residential sectors,” Dr Sheales noted.
The reform programs undertaken in the trucking industry, which introduced competition within the industry and provided incentives to trucking businesses to reduce energy costs, have delivered significant efficiency benefits in the transport sector.
Similarly, the move toward more efficient household appliances, supported by energy labelling, has improved energy efficiency in the residential sector.
The report also shows that economic growth continues to be the main driver of increases in energy consumption. Without structural changes and efficiency gains, energy consumption in the Australian economy would have been 10 percentage points higher than it actually was. These savings are equivalent to total energy use in the services sector in 2006-07.
Topics: ABARE, Australia, Australia economy, Economy, energy, energy consumption, energy efficiency, energy intensity, energy use, society
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