Improving Energy Efficiency, After EU Enlargement Toward Eastern Europe, a First Step Toward Smart Energy Consumption

Abstract

Technological progress is a determining factor in the factors leading to economic and social well-being. Simultaneously, the development of a sustainable economy is based on the conservation of resources. In the energy sector, this fact can be corroborated with the reduction of energy consumption, thus increasing economic efficiency. On the one hand, improving energy efficiency contributes to increasing the quality of life, productivity, and, implicitly, the economy, but on the other hand, it leads to excess energy use – this behavioral change is known as rebound. The research estimates the rebound effect at the macroeconomic level for European countries in the period 2000–2019, referring the analysis to each country's gross domestic product (GDP) and energy consumption, as well as comparing the preaccession and postaccession periods of Romania in the EU space. The rebound effect is determined using multidimensional analysis methods, depending on the GDP of each country as well as the behavior of each in the use of energy resources in industry, agriculture, and services. Although the study results confirm the strong link between energy consumption and GDP at the level of each state, they did not show considerable changes between countries at the level of the two periods.

Citation

Giani-Ionel, G., Emilia, Ț., Ana-Maria, B. and Mihaela, M. (2023), "Improving Energy Efficiency, After EU Enlargement Toward Eastern Europe, a First Step Toward Smart Energy Consumption", Akkaya, B., Apostu, S.A., Hysa, E. and Panait, M. (Ed.) Digitalization, Sustainable Development, and Industry 5.0, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 163-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83753-190-520231010