4 Energy efficiency services

4.1 Introduction

Energy efficiency and management services represent an important element of the energy efficiency workforce. These services include advising, supplying, and financing energy efficiency upgrades, and may include installing, maintaining, or repairing products, particularly if associated with an energy efficiency program.

Installation may in many cases be performed by unrelated companies installing specified products, that are unlikely to respond to questions about provision of efficiency services. For example, a joinery company installing windows and doors may be tasked with installing high performance glazing but would identify as a joinery rather than an energy efficiency service company. In this case the portion of their employment relating to energy efficiency is intended to be captured under energy efficiency building products (see Section 5.3).

4.2 What companies and services is this intended to capture?

Energy efficiency and/or management services may form all or part of the business of a company, and many companies will provide both services that are related to energy efficiency or management, and services that are not. In this context, the key consideration is whether the primary or dominant purpose of the service, or a significant purpose of the service is to reduce or manage energy use of an end-user.

It is likely that respondents will need to estimate the proportion of their work that comprises energy efficiency work. For example, consultants and engineers may spend some, but not all of their time, on providing services where energy efficiency or management is the main purpose of the service.

The primary survey question for this element would be Do you provide a service intended to reduce or manage energy use for an end-user?

4.3 What does energy efficiency services cover?

A list of energy efficiency services is proposed in Table 1. The table also indicates whether the employment is likely to be captured in the AEER. Where a significant proportion of employment in a particular service is unlikely to be captured, this is noted as ‘partial’.

In determining whether a service is an energy efficiency service or not for the purpose of counting employment, it is necessary to consider whether the service gives rise to additional employment that would not exist in the absence of energy efficiency. For example, general retail, logistics, and warehousing of consumer products that may be energy efficient is unlikely to give rise to additional employment due to energy efficiency, as these functions would occur regardless of whether the products are energy efficient or not. Where services relate to a product with a specific energy efficiency purpose, then the services (and consequent employment) would be unlikely to occur in the absence of the wish to reduce energy use or manage peak loads and should be captured as energy efficiency work.