Energy efficiency definitions for the Australian Energy Employment Report

Solar engineer on laptop overlooking wind turbines

Energy efficiency and retrofit programmes will need to expand substantially if Australia is to achieve its climate targets. This makes energy efficiency, including energy management and demand management a key sector to capture in the Australian Energy Employment Report (AEER).

An initiative of the Commonwealth Government, the AEER addresses the need for good quality baseline data for the Australian energy sector, as identified in the RACE for 2030 Report Developing the future energy workforce: Opportunity Assessment. The Commonwealth Government funded a pilot survey which tested the applicability of the survey to Australian conditions, developed an initial survey instrument, and recommended a methodology for implementation.

This report aims to inform the development of the AEER by proposing definitions for energy efficiency and energy management as they may apply in the survey. The report covers proposed approaches in relation to:

energy efficiency and management services and products
products which are inherently energy efficient
boundaries between efficient and non-efficient products and buildings
whether definitions should be relative to regulatory standards.

Energy efficiency and energy management as defined here include traditional energy efficiency activities to systematically reduce consumption (such as insulation), demand management, and behind-the-meter energy management activities to maximise the use of renewable energy generation. All of these are highly relevant to the energy transition.

Proposed definitions are for a range of energy efficiency activities, products, and services. It is suggested that during the AEER surveys, respondents are first asked whether they offer energy efficiency, energy management, or demand management services, and only then asked about energy efficient or high efficiency products.

The project team undertook desktop research for a draft discussion paper proposing definitions which formed the basis for industry consultation. Feedback was gained via an Industry Reference Group (IRG) comprised of industry associations, companies involved in energy efficiency activities, academics, and government representatives, a survey of IRG members on the proposed definitions, two workshops, and expert interviews, with the proposed definitions modified to reflect stakeholder feedback.

RESEARCH OUTPUTS

Energy efficiency definitions for the Australian Energy Employment Report (2023) (Report)