Energy Efficiency Policies for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: A Review

Carlos Herce (), Chiara Martini, Claudia Toro, Enrico Biele and Marcello Salvio
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Carlos Herce: Energy Efficiency in the Economic Sectors Laboratory (DUEE-SPS-ESE), Energy Efficiency Unit Department, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Chiara Martini: Energy Efficiency in the Economic Sectors Laboratory (DUEE-SPS-ESE), Energy Efficiency Unit Department, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Claudia Toro: Energy Efficiency in the Economic Sectors Laboratory (DUEE-SPS-ESE), Energy Efficiency Unit Department, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Enrico Biele: Energy Efficiency in the Economic Sectors Laboratory (DUEE-SPS-ESE), Energy Efficiency Unit Department, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy
Marcello Salvio: Energy Efficiency in the Economic Sectors Laboratory (DUEE-SPS-ESE), Energy Efficiency Unit Department, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 3, 1-34

Abstract: The importance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from economic, social, and environmental point of views and the crucial role of energy efficiency are widely recognized. However, the development of effective policies and their analysis are still challenging topics, for which research is relatively scarce. The main reasons for this are the high heterogeneity of SMEs, their low energy impact compared with energy-intensive enterprises, the lack of quantitative in-formation on the energy consumption of SMEs, and the low awareness of SMEs on energy topics. The structural paradigm change in the energy markets has underlined the importance of EE in SMEs. Several studies have been devoted to analyzing EE policies, using different methods and targets, not necessarily with a focus on SMEs or quantitative figures. This study presents a scoping review aimed at mapping the scientific literature on this topic, assessing its volume, nature, characteristics, type of evidence available, key concepts, and possible gaps. The existing contributions were systematized on three assessment levels regarding the EE policies for SMEs: general framework for their classification; comprehensive analysis of contributions providing qualitative information; in-depth analysis of evaluation studies including quantitative information. This study highlights the need for a good balance between economic and supportive mechanisms and the crucial role of energy audits. The analyzed contributions show that despite SMEs’ efforts to develop EE policies, there are still important barriers to be addressed. Moreover, there is an important lack of quantitative analyses, which are necessary for the development a harmonized policy evaluation approach. Based on a synthesis of the review findings, key learnings for the better design, implementation, and evaluation of EE policies for SMEs are provided.

Keywords: energy efficiency; energy efficiency policies; SMEs; energy audit; policy evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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