Rebound effect (conservation)

About: Rebound effect (conservation) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 773 publications have been published within this topic receiving 25741 citations.

Quantifying the direct and indirect rebound effects for consumers as a response to energy-saving technologies in the EU-27

Abstract: We estimate the rebound effect for residential space heating at the EU-27 level, which occurs when an improvement in energy efficiency results in additional energy consumption Three types of rebound effects are distinguished, namely the direct effect, indirect effect and the embodied energy We demonstrate that the magnitude of the direct rebound effect is highly dependent on the chosen estimation method and equation specification The indirect rebound effect captures the effect at the macro level and is estimated using input output modeling It includes the change in energy taxes received by the government The results showed an estimated direct rebound effect in the range of six to 26 per cent depending on the method The indirect effect was estimated at only one per cent Finally, we apply the estimated values of rebound effects to heat pumps and energy efficient lighting in order to assess the impact of the diffusion of these energy saving technologies on energy consumption We further translate the potential technical savings of these technologies into the actual expected energy savings, direct and indirect rebound effect and embodied energy

The effects of energy efficiency improvement in China with global interaction

Abstract: China has pledged to reduce its carbon intensity defined as carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40–45% by 2020 and by 60–65% by 2030 compared to the 2005 level. To fulfill the pledges, China’s government has made energy efficiency its de facto climate policy. This article raises the question to what extent energy efficiency will be an efficient mitigation measure for reaching the targets as pledged by China to the UNFCCC. In this context, two issues blur the picture. One is the potential rebound effect, generally causing one percent improvement in energy efficiency to generate less than one percent reduction in energy-related emissions since users adapt to the direct and indirect productivity gains and cost reductions in energy use. Further, there is the impact on energy use in China from interaction with global markets, in which China has emerged as a dominant player. In the present paper, we study the net implications of energy efficiency improvement in China within alternative global climate policy regimes. Our results show that a one percent energy efficiency improvement in China reduces energy use by 0.38–0.59 percent per year depending on alternative international contexts. Hence, policy makers should consider climate policies adopted by the other regions such as carbon trading system when assessing the implications of energy efficiency for energy consumption and climate mitigation. Policy makers should also consider overlapping effects of alternative energy policies, as energy efficiency improvement might have no effect on energy and emission reduction if there is global carbon trade. However, policy makers can expect more reduction in energy use and emissions due to energy efficiency improvement in the new mechanism announced in the Paris Agreement at the COP21.