The energy efficiency gap is known as the difference between optimal level of energy efficiency and the actual level of achieved energy efficiency. Energy management has proven to further close the energy efficiency gap. Energy management may differ depending on whether it concerns a large, energy-intensive company or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs are of high interest since they form a large share of the economy today. For SMEs, a lighter form of energy management, in the form of energy efficiency network participation, has proven to deliver sound energy efficiency impact, while for larger, energy-intensive firms, a certified energy management system may be more suitable. However, various barriers inhibit adoption of energy efficiency measures. While there is an array of research on barriers to and driving forces for energy efficiency in general, research on barriers to, and driving forces for, energy management is rare, one exception being a study of energy-intensive pulp and paper mills. This holds even more so for industrial SMEs. This paper aims to identify the barriers to, and drivers for, energy management in manufacturing SMEs. Results of this explorative study show that the top four barriers to energy management are lack of time/other priorities, non-energy-related working tasks are prioritized higher, slim organization, and lack of internal expert competences, i.e., mainly organizational barriers. The top four drivers for energy management are to reduce production waste, participation in energy efficiency networks, cost reduction from lower energy use, and commitment from top management. Furthermore, results show that energy management among the studied SMEs seems to not be as mature, even though the companies participated in an energy management capacity building program in the form of energy efficiency networks, which, in turn, shows a still largely untapped potential in the societal aim to reduce the energy efficiency and management gaps. The main contribution of this paper is a first novel attempt to explore barriers to, and drivers for, energy management among SMEs.

Energy efficiency (EE) improvement is one of the most crucial elements in the decarbonization of industry. EE potential within industries largely remains untapped due to the lack of information regarding potential EE measures (EEM), knowledge regarding energy use, and due to the existence of some inconsistencies in the evaluation of energy use. Classification of energy end-using processes would increase the understanding of energy use, which in turn would increase the detection and deployment of EEMs. The study presents a novel taxonomy with hierarchical levels for energy end-use in manufacturing operations for the engineering industry, analyzes processes in terms of energy end-use (EEU) and CO₂ emissions, and scrutinizes energy performance indicators (EnPIs), as well as proposing potential new EnPIs that are suitable for the engineering industry. Even though the study has been conducted with a focus on the Swedish engineering industry, the study may be generalizable to the engineering industry beyond Sweden.

Energy efficiency is essential for climate change mitigation. Energy management, shaped by both technical artefacts and social constructions, can overcome barriers and achieve greater emission reductions than technology-focused approaches alone. Nine social constructions of energy management emphasize the need for a broader view that includes operations, processes, and knowledge creation and diffusion. By adopting these strategies, corporations and policymakers can substantially reduce industrial energy use and emissions. We estimate that effective energy management policies and voluntary initiatives could cut at least 5% of global industrial fossil CO₂ emissions.

The benefits of energy efficiency (EE) improvements in industry include multiple energy benefits (MEBs) that have not been studied extensively. Although MEBs are assumed to result from energy efficiency measures (EEMs), they have not been examined simultaneously with EE, creating a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed. This paper investigates MEBs among industrial small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in different regions in Europe. The study suggests that MEBs are social constructs and argues that EEMs and MEBs belong to the same culture, with interactions occurring at macro, meso, and micro levels. This research examines the influence of regional energy policy contexts on SMEs using a questionnaire distributed across five European regions. The analysis considers regional differences and explores how contextual factors influence the prioritization of various MEB categories. The results show that “increased knowledge about energy use in the company” is the top-ranked MEB among the investigated SMEs. Although all regions have supportive energy policies available, there is a tendency to prioritize certain benefit categories over others. Companies in Groningen, the Netherlands, demonstrate stronger engagement with market, competition, and production-related benefits. SMEs in Hessen, Germany, focus mainly on production-related benefits, while companies in Burgenland, Austria, show engagement in organizational, knowledge, production, and waste-related benefits. Meanwhile, companies in La Rioja, Spain, and South-West Oltenia, Romania, do not appear to be engaged in a particular category of benefits but demonstrate strengths in specific areas and noticeable gaps in others. The findings indicate that MEBs are socially constructed outcomes shaped by interactions between regional contexts and company-level practices. The study highlights the importance of considering MEBs alongside EEMs rather than as separate outcomes. Further research examining meso- and micro-level interactions is suggested to broaden the understanding of how MEBs emerge and develop among industrial SMEs.