A new paper argues that using a policy relevant approach can help policy makers understand the climate change impacts of energy use by focusing on carbon emissions across the economy. The paper proposes using a ‘Carbon Saving Multiplier’ metric instead of the ‘indirect rebound’ effect to introduce more transparency for policymakers on how their proposed improvements to energy efficiency will affect overall energy use in the economy. The ‘Carbon Saving Multiplier’ metric is given by the ratio of total carbon savings across the economy to those achieved by individual users. The paper by Prof Karen Turner and Dr Antonios Katris, both based at the University of Strathclyde, is published in Energy Policy in January 2017.
Read the new paper: A ‘Carbon Saving Multiplier’ as an alternative to rebound in considering reduced energy supply chain requirements from energy efficiency?‘
Find out more about Prof Karen Turner’s project, which is aligned to the Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED) at Sussex and investigates the impact of energy efficiency improvements throughout the UK economy and along international supply chains.
