Residential electricity consumption in New Member States and Candidate Countries

The European Commission-DG JRC has an ongoing research activity on assessing the electricity end uses and energy saving potential, with particular attention to the residential sector. Better equipment efficiency is one of the fastest and most cost-effective responses to limiting growing demand for electricity and at the same time to reduce CO2 emissions [1]. Electricity end-use consumption is well documented for the former European Union 15 Member States (EU-15). However, there is still a lack of information about electricity end-use consumption in New Member States (NMS) and Candidate Countries (CC). NMS together with Romania and Bulgaria which will join the EU on 1 January 2007 represents more than 20% of the population and households in the enlarged EU (EU-27). Household electricity consumption is mainly due to appliances and lighting use and in these countries the relative saving potential in percentage is much greater than in the EU-15. The aim of the paper is to report on the status of electricity consumption for main appliances and lighting and to identify the saving potential resulting from the introduction of appropriate policies and programmes in New Member States and Candidate Countries.