Energy Efficiency Governance: The Case of White Certificate Instruments for Energy Efficiency in Europe (Energiepolitik und Klimaschutz. Energy Policy and Climate Protection)

Energy efficiency contributes to the main objectives of energy policy in the European Union: energy security, cost effectiveness and environmental benefits. However, the efficiency potential remains widely untapped. Will White Certificate Instruments, a new framework instrument to foster end-use energy efficiency, help to close the energy efficiency gap? The analysis compares the political process of choosing and designing White Certificate Instruments in Italy, France and Great Britain. The book shows that the type of policy instrument as well as its image has an influence not only on agenda-setting but also on the policy instrument s effectiveness due to interactions with existing energy efficiency discourses, regulatory traditions and the prevailing policy style." Acknowledgement......Page 4 Overview of contents......Page 5 Detailed table of contents......Page 6 Figures......Page 15 Tables......Page 16 List of Abbreviations......Page 17 1.1 Motivation......Page 20 1.2 Inductive-deductive research process......Page 23 1.3 White Certificate Instruments......Page 24 1.3.1 How do WCIs work?......Page 25 1.3.2 Two sources of WCIs......Page 27 1.3.3 Measurement of savings......Page 29 1.3.4 Design Choices: Determining the WCI’s mode of action......Page 30 1.3.6 WCIs in practice – deriving the research question......Page 35 2.1 Studying WCIs: A policy analysis perspective......Page 42 2.2 Ideas in context – expanding Historical Institutionalism to Constructivist Institutionalism......Page 45 2.2.1 Strategic action and goals......Page 50 2.2.2 Fostering change: Framing the problem and creating a policy image......Page 53 2.2.3 Policy entrepreneurs as agents of strategic action......Page 56 2.2.4 Unintended outcomes and prevailing tensions......Page 58 2.3.1 Explaining policy instrument choice and change......Page 59 2.3.2 Implications of a historical-constructivist institutionalism perspective for models explaining policy instrument choice......Page 63 2.4.1 MBIs as ‘technical tools’: a variety of categorizations......Page 70 2.4.2 Strategies and misconceptions: Ideas about market and market-based policy instruments......Page 76 2.4.3 WCI – a hybrid in disguise......Page 80 2.5 Energy efficiency – The complexity challenge......Page 83 2.5.1 Multiple goals......Page 84 2.5.2 Multiple solutions......Page 87 2.5.3 Multiple actors......Page 89 3.1 Introduction: Two levels of analysis......Page 93 3.2.1 Archival research......Page 96 3.2.2 Semi-structured expert interviews......Page 97 3.3 Perception tracing......Page 98 3.3.1 Qualitative content analysis......Page 99 3.4 Putting the pieces together: multidimensional comparison......Page 103 4.1 Introduction: Analysing the WCI expert community......Page 106 4.2 Identifying and selecting sources for analysis......Page 107 4.3 Delineating and characterizing the expert community......Page 108 4.4 2004–2007: European and international research projects......Page 110 4.4.2 Objectives and research focus......Page 111 4.4.3 Results and design recommendations......Page 113 4.4.4 The three research projects in a nutshell......Page 118 4.5 Major Publications......Page 119 4.5.1 Literature presenting the ‘big picture’......Page 120 4.5.2 Literature on WCIs and trading......Page 126 4.5.3 Comparing WCIs with other policy instruments......Page 128 4.6 Knowledge development: Preliminary summary of written material......Page 131 4.7 Conferences......Page 133 4.7.2 JRC Workshop on ‘White ertificates, utility and supplier obligation’ in Brussels......Page 134 4.7.3 ECEEE summer study 2009......Page 142 4.7.4 Exchanging knowledge at conferences: Summary......Page 147 4.8 Concluding analysis......Page 149 4.8.1 Focal issues over time......Page 150 4.8.2 Preliminary conclusions......Page 155 5.1 The French energy structure......Page 158 5.1.1 Energy savings in the 2006 investment plans......Page 160 5.1.2 Energy savings in the 2009 investment plans......Page 161 5.1.3 Slowly liberalizing energy markets......Page 162 5.2 History of White Certificate Instruments in France......Page 163 5.2.1 Existing measures in end-use energy efficiency......Page 164 5.2.2 First period Agenda-setting: Choosing a market-based policy instrument......Page 166 5.2.3 Second period......Page 176 5.2.4 Preliminary conclusions on the history of WCI in France......Page 179 5.3.1 Liberalization of energy markets – Protecting the incumbent and creating business opportunities......Page 180 5.3.2 Energy efficiency in the discourse of the Grenelle de l’Environnement: Environmental and social objectives enter the stage......Page 183 5.4 Perceptions on the WCI and the policy process – the policy image......Page 185 5.4.1 Objective (and hidden) purposes......Page 186 5.4.2 Mode of action and demarcation from other policy instruments......Page 187 5.4.3 Design choices and political conflict......Page 192 5.5 Conclusion: The French WCI between market and regulatory practice......Page 200 6.1 The British energy structure......Page 204 6.2 History of White Certificate Instruments in Britain......Page 207 6.2.1 First phase: Energy Efficiency Standards of Performance (EESoP) and the E Factor: preparing agenda-setting......Page 209 6.2.2 Second phase: Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC)......Page 214 6.2.3 Third phase: Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT): Recasting the obligation......Page 218 6.2.4 Summary......Page 223 6.3.1 The discourse of liberalizing energy markets and tackling fuel poverty......Page 224 6.3.2 Energy efficiency in the climate change discourse......Page 228 6.4.1 Objective and (hidden) purposes......Page 236 6.4.2 Mode of action distinct from other policy instruments......Page 237 6.4.3 Design choices and political conflict......Page 242 6.5 Conclusion: re-regulation and competition of objectives......Page 249 7.1 The Italian energy structure......Page 253 7.2.1 Existing policies and measures to increase energy efficiency in end-use sectors......Page 257 7.2.2 First period......Page 259 7.2.3 Preliminary conclusions on the history of the WCI in Italy......Page 280 7.3.1 Objectives and (hidden) purposes......Page 283 7.3.2 Mode of action and demarcation from other policy instruments......Page 284 7.3.3 Design choices and political conflicts......Page 290 7.4 Conclusion: cost-effective – to whom?......Page 293 8.1 Comparing the case studies......Page 298 8.1.1 Objectives: Intended and delivered......Page 299 8.1.2 Mode of action: flexibility versus coercion......Page 307 8.1.3 Incentive mechanisms (prices, obligation, cost recovery, penalties)......Page 311 8.1.4 The policy image in the interplay between actors and institutions......Page 314 8.2.1 Emergence and consideration of knowledge......Page 324 8.2.2 Framing a success story......Page 326 8.2.3 Ideological reinforcement versus depoliticization......Page 328 9.1 Theoretical lessons......Page 330 9.1.1 Common design features of WCIs......Page 331 9.1.2 Hybrid instruments: too smart to steer?......Page 332 9.1.3 Hybrid instrument WCI – offering room for misconceptions......Page 335 9.1.4 All-embracing hybrid instrument: framing a success story ‘WCI’......Page 338 9.1.5 Challenging the effectiveness of hybrid instruments......Page 339 9.1.6 Summary: policy instrument choice and change remain a politicized process......Page 341 9.2 For practitioners: Transposing theoretical lessons into practice......Page 345 9.3.1 Discussion of methodological approach......Page 350 9.3.2 Remaining research questions and current dynamics of WCI development......Page 351 9.3.3 Coda: Vision 2050......Page 354 List of References......Page 356 Annex I – List of Interviewees......Page 379 Annex III: Questionnaire template France......Page 380 Annex IV: Questionnaire template Italy......Page 382 Annex V: Questionnaire template United Kingdom......Page 383 Analysis of a Panel Discussion on WCI with regard to policy instrument’smode of action......Page 385 Annex VII: Counting experts to filter out core group of experts......Page 391 Energy efficiency contributes to the main objectives of energy policy in the European Union: energy security, cost effectiveness and environmental benefits. However, the efficiency potential remains widely untapped. Will White Certificate Instruments, a new framework instrument to foster end-use energy efficiency, help to close the energy efficiency gap? The analysis compares the political process of choosing and designing White Certificate Instruments in Italy, France and Great Britain. Dagmar Sibyl Steuwer shows that the type of policy instrument as well as its image has an influence not only on agenda-setting but also on the policy instrument's effectiveness due to interactions with existing energy efficiency discourses, regulatory traditions and the prevailing policy style. Der Inhalt · White Certificate Instruments as Hybrid Instruments: Design Choices and Additionality · Constructivist Institutionalism: Strategic Action and Unintended Outcomes · Policy Instruments: Tools, Indicators or Agents? · Energy Efficiency - the Complexity Challenge · Methodological Approach: Process and Perception Tracing · Research on White Certificate Instruments · Comparison of White Certificate Instruments in France, Italy and Great Britain Die Zielgruppen · Political scientists with a special interest in energy policy analysis · Policy-makers and stakeholders in the field of end-use energy efficiency Die AutorIn Dagmar Sibyl Steuwer is Research Associate at the German Advisory Council on the Environment Annotation Energy efficiency contributes to the main objectives of energy policy in the European Union: energy security, cost effectiveness and environmental benefits. However, the efficiency potential remains widely untapped. Will White Certificate Instruments, a new framework instrument to foster end-use energy efficiency, help to close the energy efficiency gap? The analysis compares the political process of choosing and designing White Certificate Instruments in Italy, France and Great Britain. The book shows that the type of policy instrument as well as its image has an influence not only on agenda-setting but also on the policy instruments effectiveness due to interactions with existing energy efficiency discourses, regulatory traditions and the prevailing policy style