Unlocking the potential of energy sufficiency

Countries and regions that adopt sufficiency strategies can achieve enhanced energy security, reduced environmental impacts, and economic sustainability.

One of the untapped potentials for reducing climate emissions is to reduce energy demand. By reducing demand we can use the available renewable energy supply more efficiently, and potentially also reduce the need to add new renewable capacity to replace fossil sources. Demand can be reduced in various ways, one of the most familiar being energy efficiency measures, but another is to aim for energy sufficiency.

The Energy Efficiency directive guides the EU on the path to achieve higher levels of energy efficiency in public sectors, buildings and infrastructure. The target set is to reduce final energy consumption by 11.7% by 2030 as compared to a 2020 reference scenario. Several studies show that there are multiple benefits if we aim beyond this target and reach levels of a 14.5% reduction or higher. Energy efficiency measures would typically involve investments in new equipment that allow the same energy service to be obtained with less energy. For example, an improved building envelope would reduce heating demand during cold periods but still maintain the same indoor climate. Another example is replacing bulbs with LED fittings that deliver the same light but with less electricity demand.

Energy sufficiency has received increased attention in recent years as a complement to the energy efficiency concept. Whereas energy efficiency is all about reducing energy input for a specific energy output, energy sufficiency is about avoiding unnecessary energy consumption (FULFILL 2024a). The concept can be described as policy measures and daily practices that avoid the demand for energy, materials, water and land, while delivering human well-being for all within the planetary boundaries. Energy sufficiency is a concept that has not been widely articulated in the past, although the ways it can be achieved are often well known. Many of them are very straight forward, and provide direct results in reducing energy demand. Examples include taking the bus instead of driving, which saves energy and reduces congestion, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and travel costs.

This example of a modal shift has multiple benefits and gives direct impacts. The challenge lies in making it happen – in many cases the decision whether to take the car or the bus will be on an individual level while impacts are seen at system level. Many people are already making informed decisions and aiming for the most efficient and sustainable option. But additional policies and strategies implemented at societal level would stimulate, nudge and provide a regulatory basis for taking energy sufficiency potentials to the next level.

The concept of energy sufficiency has been operationalised and studied in several projects that have focused specifically on these opportunities. Examples are the FULFILL project (FULFILL 2024a), the CLEVER scenario (Bourgeois et al. 2023; Wiese et al. 2024) development led by Association NégaWatt and Integrating Energy Sufficiency into Modelling of Sustainable (IntSuf 2022) projects. Results from the CLEVER scenario (Bourgeois et al. 2023) show that there is a potential to reduce final energy consumption in Europe by 50–55% by the year 2050, of which 20–30% could potentially come from sufficiency measures, and the rest from energy efficiency in the provision of energy services. There are also results on the need for ensuring policies and strategies that aim to optimise energy sufficiency impacts. Looking at different dimensions of energy sufficiency shows that there are i) service-related (intensity and duration of use of equipment), ii) dimensional (size, capacity of equipment) and iii) organisational (planning and sharing) dimensions linked to energy sufficiency that can then be linked to different sectors in society (FULFILL 2024b). Examples of policies that could support, nudge and guide the realisation of energy sufficiency potentials in society are also presented (see for example Breucker and Toulouse 2024; EEB 2024). However, at the political level the focus seems to be on energy efficiency and new renewable energy actions, rather than pushing for energy sufficiency (see Lindgren et al. 2023 for examples from Sweden).

One challenge has been how to translate the concept into different languages. In France and Germany, the terms “sobriété énergétique” and “Energie Suffizienz” seem to have caught on and work well in their respective languages. In Swedish the term “tillräcklighet” is proposed and can now be found as a special section in recent policy from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen 2024). With growing attention in research, projects and policies there is a need to communicate this concept effectively in our different languages. One big step is to be able to make the distinction between energy efficiency and energy sufficiency today.

Promoters of energy efficiency and sufficiency actions argue the potential of win/win situations. The added values and opportunities given by saving, avoiding, or being more efficient, are very clear to many of us, but could be seen as restricting by others. The recent attention and work on energy sufficiency builds on a narrative that highlights the benefits of energy sufficiency, but perhaps even more importantly links the concept more clearly with attractive results, experiences and impacts. This process of building positive and realistic narratives for the concept must continue to ensure realisation of the potentials.

References
Bourgeois, S., N. Taillard, E. Balembois, A. Toledano, A. Gabert, Y. Marignac, . . . S. Teysset (2023). Climate neutrality, Energy security and Sustainability: A pathway to bridge the gap through Sufficiency, Efficiency and Renewables, CLEVER network, Alixan, France. June.
Breucker, F. och E. Toulouse (2024). Unlocking sufficiency at the EU, National and Local Level: A policy brief from the FULFILL Project, Fundamental Decarbonisation through Sufficiency by Lifestyle Changes (FULFILL), Paris. August.
EEB (2024). A resilient and resource-wise Europe: Sufficiency at the heart of the EU’s future, Joint publication signed by 83 organisations, coordinated by European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Brussels. March.
FULFILL. (2024a). "FULFILL – Fundamental Decarbonisation through Sufficiency by Lifestyle Changes." From https://fulfill-sufficiency.eu/.
FULFILL (2024b). Final Event – Fundamental Decarbonisation through Sufficiency by Lifestyle Changes, Final event, presentation material, Fundamental Decarbonisation through Sufficiency by Lifestyle Changes (FULFILL), Paris. 18 September 2024 (workshop).
IntSuf. (2022). "Integrating energy sufficiency into modelling of sustainable energy scenarios - Nordic Energy Research." From https://www.nordicenergy.org/project/integrating-energy-sufficiency-into....
Lindgren, O., T. Hahn, M. Karlsson och M. Malmaeus (2023). "Exploring sufficiency in energy policy: insights from Sweden." Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy 19(1): 15.
Naturskyddsföreningen (2024). Naturskyddsföreningens policy för hållbar samhällsekonomi, Policy, Naturskyddsföreningen, Stockholm.
Wiese, F., N. Taillard, E. Balembois, B. Best, S. Bourgeois, J. Campos, . . . Y. Marignac (2024). "The key role of sufficiency for low demand-based carbon neutrality and energy security across Europe." Nat Commun 15(1): 9043.