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Energy efficiency and employment

The European Commission has agreed funding for a major new study on the effect of investments in energy efficiency on employment in the European Union. The study, which is expected to establish the job-creating potential of increased investment in energy efficiency, is one of ...

The European Commission has agreed funding for a major new study on the effect of investments in energy efficiency on employment in the European Union. The study, which is expected to establish the job-creating potential of increased investment in energy efficiency, is one of the largest single contracts to be awarded under the Community's SAVE II programme for the promotion of energy efficiency in the European Union. The project, which will involve energy agencies, research institutes and consultants operating in nine different Member States, will seek to characterize the amount and type of employment which may be generated by investment in energy efficiency. To do this, the project will: - Conduct a series of case studies of energy saving investment schemes. From these, it will establish the number of jobs created by specific types of schemes, the levels of skills required, and the types of people who wish to undertake such work; - Estimate wider impacts of energy efficiency investment via the use of input-output models; - Investigate different investment policy scenarios using general equilibrium models; - Compare the results of the different approaches on employment and establish the levels of employment which follow from increased energy saving investment. The entire project will run for 21 months, with publication of final results planned for July 1999. The project will be co-ordinated by the London-based Association for the Conservation of Energy. This is an important and timely initiative, from an employment as well as an energy efficiency perspective. Improved energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to cut emissions of carbon dioxide, and so help reduce the threat of climate change. It has long been acknowledged that investments in energy efficiency can save money and improve competitive positions for industry. Households also benefit economically from reduced energy consumption.

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