Energy efficiency
Inquiry report
The private cost effectiveness of improving energy efficiency (PDF 2.2 MB)
The private cost effectiveness of improving energy efficiency - excluding Chapter 9 (ZIP 1.3 MB)Contents
- Preliminaries
- Cover, Copyright, Terms of reference, Contents, Abbreviations and explanations
- Overview
- Key points, Overview, Findings and recommendations
- 1 Introduction
- 1.1 Scope of inquiry
- 1.2 Policy background
- 1.3 Conduct of the inquiry
- 2 Energy efficiency and policy assessment
- 2.1 Economic efficiency and the role of government intervention
- 2.2 Energy efficiency and its benefits
- 2.3 Assessing energy efficiency policies
- 3 How is energy used in Australia?
- 3.1 Energy availability and use in Australia
- 3.2 Energy intensity
- 3.3 Energy prices
- 3.4 Greenhouse gas emissions
- 4 What are the barriers and impediments?
- 4.1 Introduction
- 4.2 Failures in markets for energy-efficient technologies
- 4.3 Behavioural, cultural and organisational barriers
- 4.4 Other barriers and impediments
- 5 How big is the energy efficiency gap?
- 5.1 What is an energy efficiency gap?
- 5.2 Case studies of energy efficiency potential
- 5.3 Assessment of case study results
- 6 Residential sector
- 6.1 Key features of residential energy use
- 6.2 Why would householders overlook cost-effective energy efficiency improvements?
- 6.3 Residential policies
- 7 Industrial and commercial sectors
- 7.1 Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
- 7.2 Why would firms overlook cost-effective energy efficiency improvements?
- 7.3 Promoting the energy services industry
- 7.4 Voluntary agreements
- 7.5 General information provision
- 7.6 Financial incentives
- 7.7 Mandatory energy audits
- 8 Governments as energy users
- 8.1 Characteristics of government energy use
- 8.2 Government - specific barriers and policy issues
- 8.3 Policy options
- 9 Appliance labels and standards
- 9.1 Administrative arrangements
- 9.2 Appliance energy performance labels
- 9.3 Appliance minimum energy performance standards
- 9.4 Are other market interventions better?
- 10 Building ratings and standards
- 10.1 Do individuals overlook cost-effective building improvements?
- 10.2 Energy efficiency ratings for existing buildings
- 10.3 Minimum energy efficiency standards for new buildings
- 10.4 Are building standards cost effective for individuals?
- 10.5 Areas for improvement in the assessment of standards
- 11 Energy efficiency in transport
- 11.1 Introduction
- 11.2 Passenger transport
- 11.3 Freight transport
- 12 Coordinating government programs
- 12.1 Coordination of energy efficiency policies
- 12.2 Coordination with other policies
- 12.3 Institutional framework and the National Framework for Energy Efficiency
- 13 National energy efficiency target
- 13.1 Broad options for introducing a NEET
- 13.2 Emerging experiences with energy efficiency targets and related schemes
- 13.3 Could a NEET be justified on the grounds of privately cost-effective energy efficiency?
- 13.4 Could a NEET be justified as a means of meeting broader objectives?
- 14 What is the role of energy market reforms?
- 14.1 Energy pricing and costs
- 14.2 The regulation of electricity prices
- 14.3 Imperfect competition in electricity generation
- 14.4 Unpriced environmental externalities
- A Conduct of the Inquiry
- B Institutional background
- B.1 Institutional arrangements for increasing energy efficiency
- B.2 Recent reforms to regulation of energy markets
- B.3 Improving regulatory practice
- C Government energy efficiency programs
- D Australian energy efficiency standards for buildings
- D.1 The Building Code of Australia
- D.2 The Building Code and energy efficiency of housing
- D.3 The Building Code and energy efficiency of other buildings
- D.4 State-based energy efficiency building schemes
- D.5 Self-regulatory building energy efficiency schemes
- E Framework for appliance labels and standards
- E.1 National Appliance and Equipment Energy Efficiency Program
- E.2 Energy efficiency standards for gas appliances
- E.3 Voluntary programs
- F Discount rates
- F.1 Time preference versus cost of capital
- F.2 Social versus private investment evaluations
- F.3 Accounting for investment risk
- F.4 Use of social discount rates to assess private cost effectiveness
- References
