This is a very confusing subject so both journalists, politicians, as well as the general public, can easily be misled by numbers thrown around which (deliberately or by inability to discriminate) and often confuse energy with electricity. You have to think in tiers or hierarchies, and be very careful not to confuse one level with another.
1. World energy use.
2. National, federal or continental energy consumption.
3. Sector total energy use (e.g. transportation, industry, service/commercial, domestic/residential).
4. Sector by fuel type (e.g. natural gas, coal/coke, lignite, petroleum, renewable, electricity) in that country or federation.
5. Fuel type (e.g. electricity) split by end-use (e.g. space heating, space cooling, water heating, refrigeration, cooking, home electronics, lighting).
You often also have to combine statistics from different areas and separate tiers to get the complete and accurate picture. Here I’ve used EuroStat: Panorama of Energy [1] and the EuroStat statistics for the lighting part of home electricity cited in the European Commision’s Residential Lighting Consumption and Saving Potential in the Enlarged EU [2] to get the national energy consumption (level 1), residential (pritate households’) energy consumption (level 2), residential electricity consumpion (level 3) and lighting part of residential electricity consumption (level 4) for EU-27 2006 in 1000 TOE (Tonne Of Oil equivalent):
Austria (AT)
National final energy consumption: 26 753
Household total energy consumption: 6 631
Household electricity consumption: 1 358
Lighting part of hh electricity: 93 = 6.87%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 1.4%
Belgium (BE)
National final energy consumption: 38 165
Household total energy consumption: 8 932
Household electricity consumption: 1 954
Lighting part of hh electricity: 240 = 12.23%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 2.69%
Bulgaria (BG)
National final energy consumption: 10 028
Household total energy consumption: 2 180
Household electricity consumption: 800
Lighting part of hh electricity: 80 = 10%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.67%
Cyprus (CY)
National final energy consumption: 1 840
Household total energy consumption: 347
Household electricity consumption: 129
Lighting part of hh electricity: 32 = 25%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 9.22%
Czech Republic (CZ)
National final energy consumption: 26 251
Household total energy consumption: 6 509
Household electricity consumption: 1 307
Lighting part of hh electricity: 157 = 12%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 2.41%
Denmark (DK)
National final energy consumption: 15 627
Household total energy consumption: 4 419
Household electricity consumption: 910
Lighting part of hh electricity: 127 = 14%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 2.87%
Estonia (EE)
National final energy consumption: 2 775
Household total energy consumption: 881
Household electricity consumption: 144
Lighting part of hh electricity: 26 = 28%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 2.95%
Finland (FIN)
National final energy consumption: 26 679
Household total energy consumption: 4 947
Household electricity consumption: 1 818
Lighting part of hh electricity: 253 = 13.93%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 5.11%
France (FR)
National final energy consumption: 157 779
Household total energy consumption: 44 658
Household electricity consumption: 12 636
Lighting part of hh electricity: 812 = 6.43%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 1.82%
Germany (DE)
National final energy consumption: 223 062
Household total energy consumption: 69 124
Household electricity consumption: 12 157
Lighting part of hh electricity: 1 013 = 8.13%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 1.46%
Greece (GR)
National final energy consumption: 21 454
Household total energy consumption: 5 491
Household electricity consumption: 1 520
Lighting part of hh electricity: 225 = 18%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 4.1%
Hungary (HU)
National final energy consumption: 17 920
Household total energy consumption: 6 182
Household electricity consumption: 985
Lighting part of hh electricity: 246 = 25%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.98%
Ireland (EI)
National final energy consumption: 13 037
Household total energy consumption: 3 060
Household electricity consumption: 695
Lighting part of hh electricity: 125 = 18%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 4.08%
Italy (IT)
National final energy consumption: 130 654
Household total energy consumption: 29 919
Household electricity consumption: 5 816
Lighting part of hh electricity: 698 =12%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 2.33%
Latvia (LV)
National final energy consumption: 4 201
Household total energy consumption: 1 492
Household electricity consumption: 149
Lighting part of hh electricity: 42 = 28%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 2.81%
Lithuania (LT)
National final energy consumption: 4 722
Household total energy consumption: 1 429
Household electricity consumption: 202
Lighting part of hh electricity: 61 = 30%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 4.27
Luxembourg (LU)
National final energy consumption: 4 398
Household total energy consumption: 610
Household electricity consumption: 71
Lighting partof hh electricity: 9 = 13%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 1.48%
Malta (MT)
National final energy consumption: 478
Household total energy consumption: 81
Household electricity consumption: 57
Lighting part of hh electricity: 14 = 25%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 17.28%
Netherlands (NL)
National final energy consumption: 50 835
Household total energy consumption: 10 013
Household electricity consumption: 2 135
Lighting part of hh electricity: 342 = 16%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.42%
Poland (PL)
National final energy consumption: 60 163
Household total energy consumption: 19 178
Household electricity consumption: 2 237
Lighting part of hh electricity: 626 = 28%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.26%
Portugal (PT)
National final energy consumption: 18 544
Household total energy consumption: 3 201
Household electricity consumption: 1 153
Lighting part of hh electricity: 162 = 14.04%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 5.06%
Romania (RO)
National final energy consumption: 24 706
Household total energy consumption: 7 839
Household electricity consumption: 860
Lighting partof hh electricity: 302 = 35.18%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.85%
Slovakia (SI)
National final energy consumption: 10 680
Household total energy consumption: 2 315
Household electricity consumption: 394
Lighting part of hh electricity: 33 = 8.3%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 1.43%
Slovenia (SK)
National final energy consumption: 4 945
Household total energy consumption: 1 158
Household electricity consumption: 263
Lighting part of hh electricity: 38 = 14.3%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.38%
Spain (ES)
National final energy consumption: 96 642
Household total energy consumption: 14 753
Household electricity consumption: 5 650
Lighting part of hh electricity: 1 017 = 18%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 5.06%
Sweden (SE)
National final energy consumption: 33 218
Household total energy consumption: 7 003
Household electricity consumption: 3 567
Lighting part of hh electricity: 571 = 16%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 8.16%
UK (UK)
National final energy consumption: 150 565
Household total energy consumption: 42 018
Household electricity consumption: 10 013
Lighting part of hh electricity: 1 602 = 16%
Lighting part of hh total energy = 3.81%
______________________________________
EU-27
EU final energy consumption 2006: 1 176 221 (1000 TOE)
EU total domestic energy consumption: 304 370
EU domestic electricity consumption: 10 013
Lighting part of EU domestic electricity (mean): 1 602 = 10%
Home lighting part of domestic total energy (mean): 2.94%
Home lighting part of EU total energy (mean): 0.76%
______________________________________
Of this 0.76% the preparatory study by the EU Commission’s own consultants showed that the share of household incandescent lamps has decreased from 85% in 1995 to 54% 2007. [3]
Based on surveys of 500 consumers in 11 countries, the EU-27 average share per household 2007 was estimated at:
• 54% of the lamps incandescent (and decreaseing)
• 18% of the lamps low-voltage halogen (and increasing)
• 5% of the lamps mains-voltage halogen (and increaseing)
• 8% of the lamps linear flourescent
• 15% of the lamps CFL with integrated ballasts
Note that incandescent lamps were expected by the preparatory study to keep decreasing dramatically, even in the “business-as-usual” scenario (= without a ban)! [3]
• We also have the sooner-than-expected introduction of decently functional lower-wattage mercury-free LED-lamps.
And after the intensification of the CFL propaganda, all the energy-saving tips flooding the media and internet these last 2 years, all the freebie campaigns and the climate change threat, it’s probably less today, but let’s for simplicity’s sake say the incandescent lamp share is still as high as 50%.
Half of 10% = 5% of domestic electricity.
Half of 2.94% = 1.47% of total domestic energy use.
Half of 0.76% of = 0.38% of EU total energy consumption.
Of this little fraction, the European Commission hopes to save 65-75% by forcing people to switch to CFLs. This makes:
2.35 – 3.75% of domestic electricity.
0.96 – 1.1% of total domestic energy use.
0.25 – 0.28% of EU total energy consumption.
Using the more realistic figure of CFLs saving closer to 50% (with light deprication, power factor, ballast loss, heat replacement effect, poor quality imports, wrong useage etc. taken into consideration) we get:
Half of 5% = 2.5% of domestic electricity.
Half of 1.47% = 0.74% of total domestic energy use.
Half of 0.38% = 0.19% of EU total energy consumption.
Not exactly close to the 2020 goal, is it?
And not all of the remaining incandescent lamps can be replaced by CFLs. The preparatory study explains why:
“…some customers have a few light points left where they prefer to keep the GLS due to barriers for CFLi as explained in chapter 3 (e.g. requirements to color rendering, sparkling effect etc.) or because of the lamp has little usage such as in cellars, staircases or storage rooms and where full lighting is also needed immediately.” [3]
References:
1. EuroStat: Panorama of Energy (2006)
2. Residential Lighting Consumption and Saving Potential in the Enlarged EU
3. Lot 19: Domestic Lighting Part 1, Chapter 2
