Energy efficiency in Germany Analysis based on the ODYSSEE database from the SAVE project 'Cross-country comparison on energy efficiency indicators'. Final report

Abstract

The most important change in the German data situation compared to the last national report in October 1995 was the adjustment of the national statistical system to the unified Germany including eastern Germany (in the following referred to as Germany). Therefore, the existing time series for western Germany (in the following referred to as ex-FRG) had not only to be updated, but German data had to be included in the ODYSSEE database, too. It is intended to improve in the future the quality of the data further and to extend the data through reasonable estimates as far as justified (improvement of the data for the ex-FRG up to 1994, completion and verification of the data for Germany in 1990/1991). It is clear that the re-unification (in combination with the change in 1995 of the national industrial energy consumption statistics to a classification which is compatible with the European NACE Rev. 1 classification) poses considerable difficulties for the Energy Efficiency Indicators (EEI) approach, in which longer time series improve the reliability of the results. The German reunification shows therefore the limitations of the approach which encounters difficulties in periods of rapid changes. It is, however, not a principle argument against the methodology. The difficulty stems rather from the fact that in periods of radical changes, statistical systems simply may break down for some time, and cannot be reconstructed afterwards. Fortunately, the German re-unification is exceptional within the European Union. However, in the case of the inclusion of Eastern European accession countries (PHARE countries) in the EEI approach, the same type of difficulties will occur, though to a lesser degree, because the changes were less radical, and because there was not a complete break in statistics. (orig.)Available from TIB Hannover / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman