Obstacles to rational electricity use and measures to alleviate them

Abstract There is a large potential for economically justified efficiency improvement in electricity use but obstacles and market imperfections hinder it from being fully realized. Efficiency improvements are mostly group specific and have to be matched with a suitable mix of energy policy instruments. The obstacles and the cost-effective measures are described for three sectors — private households (including space heating and air-conditioning and electrical appliances), small and medium-sized companies, and small communities.