A systems approach to overcome industrial energy efficiency barriers

Abstract

Analysts around the world consider energy efficiency as the most cost-effective means to resolving climate change and energy issues. However, literature shows that there are barriers to energy which impede energy efficiency advances. The traditional approach to analyse barriers using mainstream economic theories now appears to be inadequate in addressing the issue, which is multidisciplinary. This study adopts a novel perspective to analyse barriers in the industrial by using principles of systems approach. In contrast to prior studies which show a lack of consideration for interactions among barriers, systems thinking emphasizes on relationships and interactions. Applying systems thinking on the data collected (from interviews, case study and literature), hypotheses that capture relationships among barriers were developed and tested using an industrial survey. Structural models were assessed using partial least squares path modeling and hierarchical regressions. The main contribution of this study is the explicit recognition of interaction among barriers has important implications to future research and policies.