3 April 2013: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has released the Spring 2013 issue of its journal “IEA Energy” on the theme of energy efficiency as a “hidden” fuel. The cover article explores why energy efficiency remains largely untapped, despite its economic, security and health benefits.

The article concludes that advancing energy efficiency requires asking fundamental questions about society’s commitment to invest in capacity building, subsidy reform, high-performing global collaboration, and full implementation of cost-effective measures.

IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven opened the issue with a column on the benefits of energy efficiency for extending energy supplies, increasing energy security, lowering carbon emissions, improving air quality and extending the timeline for climate change mitigation. Noting the IEA’s longstanding efforts to improve energy efficiency around the world, van der Hoeven highlights the IEA’s 25 energy efficiency recommendations, which, if implemented in all 28 IEA member countries, would annually save US$1 trillion in energy costs, alongside significant benefits to energy security in the form of energy supply and environmental protection.

Other featured topics include: industrial control systems and motors reducing industrial energy use by one-third; technologies for cutting vehicular fuel consumption by half; building codes for reducing energy consumption; and an IEA’s Building Energy Efficiency Policies (BEEP) database for sharing lessons among policy-makers and industry stakeholders.

The issue further covers, inter alia, the future of oil refineries in Asia; renewing demand for natural gas in Europe; the rise of solar power and energy efficiency in the Middle East and North Africa; and tougher fuel and emissions limits for vehicles in the United States. [Publication: IEA Energy Spring 2013] [IISD RS Story on IEA’s 25 Energy Efficiency Policy Recommendations]