Energy analysis of the structures of industrial organizations

Energy analysis, data and research are reviewed. Methods to determine the energy required to maintain the structures of industrial organizations are described. Results for six organizations reconfirm earlier findings: (i) there are diseconomies of scale, i.e. smaller firms are more energy efficient (in Btu/employee-year) in maintaining structure than are larger firms; (ii) private-sector firms are more energy efficient than public firms; (iii) service-producing firms are more energy efficient than goods-producing firms; (iv) a public-sector service-provider spent its dollars on goods and services that required more energy (Btu/$) than any of the other five firms. The ratio of total energy used or controlled by each organization to energy needed to maintain structure (TE/SE) is a measure of environmental impact.

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