Browsing by Author "Sahiluoma, Anna-Maria"

The role of increasing energy efficiency as part of climate goals has become more important in recent years, as it is seen as a cost-effective way of reaching the goals. Multiple studies have shown that even though cost-effective energy efficiency investment opportunities exists firms are not implementing them. This under investment phenomenon is called energy efficiency paradox. This Master´s thesis aims to increase understanding of factors effecting the implementation of energy efficiency investments in Finnish companies. Thus, the purposes of this study is to identify barriers and drivers that have affected the likelihood that energy efficiency investments have been implemented in small or medium size company during the past five years. The Data for the study was collected through a survey spring 2015. The survey was sent in co-operation with Motiva Oy to companies participating in the voluntary energy efficiency agreements and in co-operation with The Federation of Finnish Enterprises to their member companies. The research method was binary logistic regression analysis. As a result of regression analysis two models were produced. The statistically better model was chosen to describe the barriers and drivers that have effected implementation of energy efficiency investments in small or medium size companies during the past five years. The results from the model suggested that the factors increasing the likelihood that energy efficiency investments had been made was larger company size and good energy management. Good energy management includes that concrete objectives for energy efficiency improvements have been made in the company and that an investment will be monitored after implementation. The factors that decrease the likelihood that energy efficiency investments had been made was being in a non-energy intensive industry: construction, service or other industries such as agriculture. The most relevant driving force was good energy management. A Company with good level of energy management is 15 times likelier to have made energy efficiency investments than a company that has no concrete objectives for energy efficiency improvements and/or does not monitor results from energy efficiency investments.