Near-term actions for transforming energy-service efficiency to limit global warming to 1.5 °C

Abstract

A global 'Low Energy Demand' (LED) scenario published in 2018 shows how global warming can be limited to 1.5 °C by transforming the way energy services are provided and consumed (Grubler et al. 2018). We follow up this long-range scenario study by setting out a wide range of near-term actions for improving energy-service efficiency through a combination of technological, organisational and behavioural innovation. We focus on three energy services: heating and cooling in buildings, ownership and use of consumer goods, and passenger mobility. We identify a set of 28 actions across these three energy services ranging from multi-functional end-use devices and area-based procurement of whole-home retrofits to shared urban mobility services and open digital platforms. For each action we identify the lead implementation actor, scale of action, and the extent of policy and financing requirements. For selected actions, we also provide examples of best practice from around the world, drawing on both peer-reviewed and grey literature. Finally, we identify six basic strategies which are the means by which our diverse set of actions achieve their goal of transforming energy services: electrification, functional convergence, usership, utilisation rates, efficiency frontier, and user-oriented innovation.