IMPLICATIONS OF ENERGY SUFFICIENCY ON ELECTRICITY DEMAND AND SYSTEM COSTS: A QUANTIFIED ASSESSMENT

Speaker: Bianka Shoai-Tehrani, RTE – Pôle Stratégie, Prospective et Evaluation – Direction Economie du Système Electrique – Pôle Etudes Economiques et Environnementales

Moderator: Benigna Boza-Kiss, IIASA

Abstract: While an increasing number of countries adopt a carbon neutrality target, the search for emission cutting solutions tends to shift from low-carbon energy technologies towards demand-side transformations, including low-energy demand lifestyles. Such lifestyles can include both energy efficiency and energy sufficiency measures. While energy efficiency revolves around technology-based solutions to cut consumption and thus emissions – though not always effective due to rebound effect – sufficiency consists in reducing one’s own demand as a choice. Such a transformation thus has the potential to reduce energy demand with economic benefits as it could allow avoiding some of the low-carbon investments needed to achieve carbon neutrality. However, as it is rooted in socio-behavioral considerations, it is difficult to quantify the potential for the reduction in energy consumption that would result from the adoption of an energy sufficient lifestyle. In light of these issues, this paper aims at identifying plausible changes in electricity consumption behaviors in France linked with a sufficient lifestyle, and quantifying the associated energy consumption reduction and economic benefits on the road to carbon neutrality by 2050.