Achieving accurate international comparisons of manufacturing energy use data

Increasing world-wide attention is focused on achieving improved energy efficiency. When assessing energy efficiency, energy analysts and policy makers often rely on only a few selected indicators of energy intensity. This paper focuses on the energy consumption part used in manufacturing energy intensity indicators and identifies the most common problems encountered when comparing these internationally. When energy intensity indicators are used to make international comparisons, the selection of appropriate and comparable data is essential. Great attention must be paid to whether the data are expressed using the same definitions of consumption, whether they cover the same activities, whether the fuels and industry classifications are the same, and whether the data are given in a common unit using the same type of calorific value, as well as to verifying the data collection methods used. Through detailed examples, the paper demonstrates the importance of ensuring the comparability of data, as a prerequisite for achieving accurate and useful international comparisons of manufacturing energy use data. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.