• Two fifths of firms that invest in Belgium, also invest in EE (36% of all firms). This share jumps to 55% for the energy intensive sectors.
• Firms in Belgium allocate approximately 7% of their total investment in EE improvements, less than the EU and the US average. This proportion is higher in energy intensive sectors, such as manufacturing and infrastructure.
• Firms in Belgium report roughly 35% of their building stock to be of high or highest energy efficiency (EE) standards, compared to two fifths in the EU and a third in the US.
• Almost two thirds of the firms surveyed in Belgium with an energy audit invest in EE improvements.
• Almost 35% of the firms surveyed in Belgium had an energy audit in the past three years, compared to two fifths in the EU and a third in the US. The implementation rate of energy audits increases with size and is particularly high in energy intensive sectors.
• Firms in Belgium are more likely to invest in EE improvements when they implement advanced management practices.
• Firms that are more affected by energy costs are more likely to invest in EE improvements. This is the only barrier to investment that
is perceived differently between firms that invested also in EE and those that did not.
Going green: Who is investing in energy efficiency, and why it matters
20
61
39
With an Audit
Invested also in EE Invested but not in EE 29
71
Without an Audit
Invested also in EE Invested but not in EE
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Belgium EU US Construction Infrastructure Manufacturing Services SME Large
Country Sector Size
2019 2017 0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Belgium EU US Construction Infrastructure Manufacturing Services SME Large
Country Sector Size
2019 2016
D. Perceived share of building stock of high or highest energy efficiency standards (%)
Q: What proportion, if any, of your commercial building stock satisfies high or highest energy efficiency standards?
Base: All firms (data not shown for those who said don’t know/refused)
Factors affecting Energy efficiency (EE) investments A. Energy audits and energy-efficiency investment decisions
Q: Can I check, in the past three years has your company had an energy audit? By this I mean an assessment of the energy needs and efficiency of your company’s building or buildings.
Base: All firms which have invested (data not shown for those who said don’t know/refused)
A1. Share of firms with an energy audit in the past three years (%)
Base: All firms (data not shown for those who said no/don’t know/refused)
BELGIUM – ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Going green: Who is investing in energy efficiency, and why it matters
Energy Intensive Non Energy Intensive Energy Intensive Non Energy Intensive Energy Intensive Non Energy Intensive
Belgium EU US
Energy costs Business
regulations Uncertainty about
the future Availability of
skilled staff Availability of
finance
Non Energy Intensive Energy Intensive
Invested also in EE Invested but not in EE 0
Aust ria Cze ch R epubl ic Hung ary Lux em bo ur g Fra nce Est oni a Gre ece Uni te d K ing do m De nm ark Fin lan d US A Ge rm an y Croa tia Po rtu ga l Sw ed en Po lan d EU La tv ia Lithua ni a Irel an d Ne th er la nd s Ro m an ia Be lgi um Slo va ki a Sp ain Slov en ia Bu lga ria Ita ly Cyp ru s
A2. Share of firms with an energy audit in the past three years (%), by energy intensity
Q: Can I check, in the past three years has your company had an energy audit? By this I mean an assessment of the energy needs and efficiency of your company’s building or buildings.
Base: All firms (data not shown for those who said no/don’t know/refused)
B. Difference in the probability of investing in EE by firms with advanced managerial practices (%)
Note: Firms with advanced management practices are those that have a pay performance practice and/or a strategic monitoring system
C. Long term barriers to investment
Q: Thinking about your investment activities, to what extent are the above-mentioned an obstacle? Is a major obstacle, a minor obstacle or not an obstacle at all?
Base: All firms (data not shown for those who said a minor obstacle/not an obstacle at all/don’t know/refused)
BELGIUM – ENERGY EFFICIENCY
BELGIUM – ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Going green: Who is investing in energy efficiency, and why it matters
22 0
5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Belgium EU US Construction Infrastructure Manufacturing Services SME Large
Country Sector Size
2019 2016
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Energy Intensive Non Energy Intensive Energy Intensive Non Energy Intensive Energy Intensive Non Energy Intensive
Belgium EU US
D. Energy costs as major obstacle to investment (%)
Q: Thinking about your investment activities, to what extent are energy costs an obstacle? Is a major obstacle, a minor obstacle or not an obstacle at all?
Base: All firms (data not shown for those who said a minor obstacle/not an obstacle at all/don’t know/refused)
D1. Energy costs as major obstacle to investment (%), by energy intensity
Base: All firms (data not shown for those who said a minor obstacle/not an obstacle at all/don’t know/refused)
BELGIUM – ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Going green: Who is investing in energy efficiency, and why it matters
23 0
10 20 30 40 50 60
Energy
Intensive Non Energy
Intensive Energy
Intensive Non Energy
Intensive Energy
Intensive Non Energy Intensive
Bulgaria EU US
17
35
48 83
Invested Not Invested
Invested also in EE Invested but not in EE
0 5 10 15 20 25
Bulgaria EU US Construction Infrastructure Manufacturing Services SME Large
Country Sector Size
2019 2018
Summary
Energy efficiency (EE) investment A. Share of firms investing in
EE and other areas (%) B. Share of firms investing in EE (%), by energy intensity
Q: What proportion of the total investment was for EE improvements or/and other areas in your organisation?
Base: all firms
Note: Investment decision is a binary variable that takes the value of one when firms surveyed have invested and 0 otherwise
Note: Sectors are divided in energy intensive and non-energy intensive using clustering analysis. Energy intensive sectors are the following (using 2-digit NACE codes): 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 49, 50, 51
C. Proportion of firms’ total investment for measures to improve EE (%)
Q: What proportion of the total investment was primarily for measures to improve energy efficiency in your organisation?
Base: All firms which have invested (data not shown for those who said don’t know/refused)