Evaluating the barriers to specific industrial energy efficiency measures: an exploratory study in small and medium-sized enterprises

Industrial energy efficiency has raised to the top of European energy policy agenda, and particular efforts should be placed to tackle the barriers to energy efficiency of small and non-energy intensive industrial users. To enhance the adoption rate of a specific industrial energy efficiency measure, it is crucial to properly evaluate the barriers. Without a proper level of detail – considering both the measureʹs specificity and the evaluationʹs perspective – company managers are hampered when making investment decisions, and policymakers are prevented from developing the most effective policies. The paper aims at highlighting that the value of a given intervention-dependent barrier may differ when evaluating it at the company level, by technology area, or with respect to a specific measure. To achieve this objective, an exploratory investigation of Italian small and medium-sized enterprises into the metalworking sector has been performed with respect to selected cross-cutting technologies. Although general barriers appear as most relevant at the company level, large differences appear when considering intervention-dependent barriers by technology area as well as at the energy efficiency measure level. The research presents innovative results, as the literature and policymakers have not accounted so far for how the value of barriers can effectively vary with respect to a single measure, but have only considered barriers at company level. Additionally, the paper highlights that differences can be appreciated when evaluating the intervention-dependent barriers according to some firm characteristics (i.e. size, production complexity, and innovativeness). The study concludes with suggestions for policymakers as well as industrial decision-makers.