IEA ENERGY EFFICIENCY MARKET REPORT 2015

A new International Energy Agency (IEA) book Energy Efficiency Market Report 2015 reveals that energy efficiency improvements since 1990 in IEA member countries avoided 870 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions in 2014 – and a cumulative 10 billion tonnes over the last 25 years, roughly equivalent to current annual emissions by all IEA member countries

The report adds to IEA analysis that has shown energy efficiency to be the most effective tool to reduce energy sector carbon emissions, accounting for more than 40% of the required reductions to limit global warming to 2 degrees centigrade. The new findings make clear that energy efficiency improvements have effectively been rolling back the clock on carbon emissions.

As detailed in the report, energy efficiency improvements since 1990 in IEA member countries reduced primary energy consumption in 2014 by more than 760 million tonnes of oil equivalent. Because two-thirds of CO₂ emissions come from fuel combustion, this makes efficiency a critical tool for minimising the costs of reducing greenhouse gases. Avoided energy consumption from investments in energy efficiency over the past 25 years also saved USD 550 billion for consumers in IEA member countries in 2014, more than the European Union spent on fuel imports for the year.

A presentation of the report: http://www.iea.org/media/presentations/151008_EEMR2015.pdf

Full 2015 and past reports:

http://www.iea.org/newsroomandevents/news/2015/october/energy-efficiency-market-report-2015-highlights-cuts-in-greenhouse-gases-.html