Accelerating Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a central part of economies worldwide, comprising 99 percent of enterprises and providing about 60 percent of employment. The IEA estimates that SMEs use more than 13 percent of global total final energy demand, around 74 exajoules (EJ) and that cost-effective energy efficiency measures can save SMEs up to 22 EJ – more energy than Japan and Korea consume per year combined.

Improvements in energy efficiency offers considerable value for economies, societies, and SMEs themselves, but efficiency investment is lagging because of a lack of information, resources, technical expertise, and funding. This policy brief describes how well-designed energy efficiency programmes can address these barriers, unlocking a wide range of benefits.