Policy Pathway - Accelerating Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises 2015

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a central part of economies worldwide, comprising 99% of enterprises and providing about 60% of employment. The IEA estimates that SMEs use more than 13% of global total final energy demand, around 74 exajoules and that cost-effective energy efficiency measures can save SMEs up to 22 EJ – more energy than Japan and Korea consume per year combined. Improvements in energy efficiency offers considerable value for economies, societies and SMEs themselves, but efficiency investment is lagging because of a lack of information, resources, technical expertise and funding. This Policy Pathway describes how well-designed energy efficiency programmes can address these barriers, unlocking a wide range of benefits.