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Energy savings
…compensated for the increase in energy use due to increased activity, such as home building and increased home sizes. In the transport sector, most efficiency improvements were realised in passenger vehicles – around one-sixth of the total. These energy savings were higher than the increased demand due to the rising number, frequency and distance of people travelling. Efficiency improvements in freight transport, such as trucks, drove around 1% of the total energy savings. This was lower than the rise in freight transport activity over the same period. Need more information? IEA (2025), Energy End-uses and Efficiency Indicators.IEA (2023)…
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Energy Efficiency 2025
Market Report Energy Efficiency 2025 is the IEA’s primary annual analysis on global energy efficiency developments, showing recent trends in energy intensity and demand, investment, employment and policy. The report provides sector-specific analysis on industry, buildings, appliances and transport and explores system-wide themes such as emissions reductions, energy security, affordability and competitiveness. This report is launched in parallel with an update to the IEA Energy Efficiency Progress Tracker, which can be accessed through the IEA website.
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Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency
As energy efficiency continues to gain attention as a key resource for economic and social development across all economies, understanding its real value is increasingly important. The multiple benefits approach seeks to expand the perspective of energy efficiency beyond the traditional measure of energy savings by identifying and measuring its impacts in full bloom.
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Affordability
…the energy savings of efficiency measures can be initially lower than expected. In India, time-saving appliance ownership, such as of washing machines or refrigerators, is associated with a 15% increase of employment among women and an increased school attendance by older children.As people gain access to electricity, they acquire new equipment, often starting with light bulbs, followed by televisions, and finally fans, particularly in hot locations. As available power increases and electricity becomes more reliable, refrigerators are installed as well. For many products, such as refrigerators, highly efficient models use less than half of the energy of inefficient…
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Emission reductions
…to clean cooking, air pollution is linked to around 3.7 million premature deaths a year. Replacing open fires and inefficient stoves with cleaner, more modern stoves and fuels reduces household air pollution and improves efficiency. Indoor air pollution from liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cookstoves is only around 5% of pollution from traditional biomass, while being over three times more efficient. Switching from LPG to electric cooking would further reduce indoor air pollution by 25% and is over 1.5 times more efficient. Need more information? IEA (2024), Energy Efficiency 2024.IEA (2023), A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All.
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Competitiveness
…shown to lead to improved product quality and consistency, contributing to brand reputation.Improved resource use, such as reduced equipment downtime and unplanned shutdowns, lower maintenance costs, and potentially reduced staff requirements for operation and monitoring. Efficiency has also been shown to increase worker health and safety, reducing the incidence of work-related accidents and health insurance costs.Reduced waste production, such as less use of materials and process water.Combined, these multiple benefits can more than double the benefits of energy cost savings. Need more information? IEA (2025), Gaining an Edge: The Role of Energy Efficiency in Enhancing Competitiveness.
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Gaining an Edge
…creation, energy efficiency helps firms compete amid high costs, growing demand, and rising trade pressures. In today’s global context, energy efficiency is not only a matter of energy policy, but also of economic policy.The report analyses historical progress in industrial energy efficiency and its role in enhancing industrial competitiveness. It includes comparisons of firm-level energy efficiency, identifying performance gaps and opportunities for further improvement. Drawing on a new IEA survey of 1 000 firms across 14 countries, it provides insights into industry perspectives. The report also highlights emerging opportunities in energy efficiency markets and offers recommendations for policymakers…
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Energy Management for Industry
Driving efficiency implementation This report demonstrates the value of energy management for industry and governments. It illustrates how more systematic approaches to energy efficiency can contribute to ensure continual, durable, and increasing improvements that support competitiveness and energy security. It shows how new advances in energy management, such as increased digitalisation and artificial intelligence, can provide further benefits at speed and at scale. Building on best practices and innovative approaches, the report provides policy guidance on effective policy packages, giving insights into possible actions for policy makers irrespective of the maturity of existing programmes.
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Asset values
…commercial sectors. Studies show that sale price premiums for energy efficient buildings range from 3% to 15% in residential buildings and 13 to 20% in commercial buildings. Key analysis Studies show that individuals and businesses are willing to pay a higher rent and/or sales price for property with improved energy performance, such as that expressed in energy performance certificates. Evidence from the United States and Germany suggests that sales price premiums are about twice as high as rental price premiums. Meanwhile, in the industrial and utility sectors, energy efficiency measures can increase asset values by improving productivity, reducing wear…
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Jobs
… Energy efficiency offers a wide array of job opportunities, including in installation and repair but also in the manufacturing, supply and distribution of efficient equipment. Key analysis A review of studies shows that an investment of USD 1 million can create and maintain for one year between 5 and 22 jobs in the buildings sector, between 4 and 14 jobs in the industrial sector, and between 5 and 15 jobs in the transport sector. A closer look at job location Energy efficiency spurs job creation at the local level while creating economy-wide gains. While jobs in industrial efficiency and manufacturing tend to be more…
