French higher domestic electricity consumption for captive uses compared to Germany: assessment of explanatory factors

Panel: 6. Appliances, product policy and ICT

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Didier Bosseboeuf, ADEME, France
Carine SEBI, ENERDATA, France
Bruno Lapillonne, Enerdata, France
Sophie Attali, SOWATT, France

Abstract

French households consume on average 600 kWh/household more compared to German ones regarding electricity consumption for captive uses (i.e. excluding thermal uses). This paper aims at identifying and quantifying the main factors influencing this difference. It further reviews the potential change leverages through targeted policies, and proposes policy measures to reduce these differences.

Using a technico-economic decomposition analysis of the energy demand changes, the role of the following factors has been considered: appliance ownership, appliances’ size, efficiency level according to energy label class, equipment features, equipment price according to respective energy efficiency, consumer attitude, and electricity tariffs. Adjusted captive consumption indicators, correcting for five of the main observed factors of discrepancies, have been developed to quantify each factor’s impact. The analysis has been carried-out by type of appliance. The results show that only two of the adjustments significantly impact consumption: the equipment ownership rate and the energy label penetration; however, they tend to offset each other. As a result, the five adjustments only account for 21% of the performance gap observed between France and Germany, i.e. 125 kWh.

The rest of the difference may be due to qualitative factors (e.g. behaviours and retailers’ strategies) which will be presented and some of which were assessed. The analysis of the policy factors shows that the situation is quite similar in France and in Germany, with the important exception that Germany has implemented public awareness programmes for longer than France, and with more continuity. Germany further has two other advantages over France: German consumers declare to pay more attention to environmental issue, and German households benefit from decades of numerous DSM programmes implemented locally by Länders, cities, and more than a thousand of electricity suppliers.