IndiPol – Indicators for Energy Policy: Housing, Electricity and Long Distance Heating Supply

Climate change is a global key challenge. In order to reach the long-run emission reduction targets a fundamental transformation of our societies is inevitable. Such a transition also requires adequate measurement systems. Sets of indicators are considered an appropriate tool to account for the complexity of an extended perspective of welfare and development, i.e., for the interaction between economy, society and ecosystems. We develop a set of indicators for sustainable energy development for Austria, extending the approach of IEA and IAEA (2001) in two respects: 1. We emphasise the role of energy services instead of energy flows for welfare and development focusing on residential buildings, a major area of final energy consumption, complemented with indicators for energy supply. 2. We develop service-based composite indices for energy sustainability. The indicators will serve policy makers in the design and monitoring of climate and energy policy and in the communication to the public.