Nov. 26, 2007
A July report from the European Commission's joint research centre highlights the EU's failure to "decouple electricity consumption from economic growth, despite the accelerating introduction of energy-saving measures," according to Ends Europe Daily.
The study compiled electricity consumption data throughout the EU (with the exceptions of Romania and Bulgaria) and compared consumption levels with market shares of energy-efficient appliances and equipment.
Electricity consumption in the EU between 1999 and 2004 grew by a rate of 10.8 percent, according to the study, an increase more or less equivalent to carbon emission savings achieved elsewhere. The study added that the largest increase in consumption was from electronic appliances operating in standby mode.
