Rebound-Effekte in Unternehmen

(Rebound Effects in Businesses: Awareness and Need for Information among German Policy Makers)

Rebound effects prevent the full utilisation of efficiency-improving measures and can even lead to a lack of net energy savings. This German-language working paper provides an overview of the current awareness and understanding of rebound effects (focusing on businesses) among policy makers, as well as the extent to which rebound effects have been considered in the design of political promotion of energy efficiency for industries and businesses. It looks at all phases of the political process (according to the heuristic model of policy cycle): agenda setting, policy formation, implementation, and evaluation. 22 interviews with policy makers in Germany form the basis of the paper. Interviewees were representatives of different departments on national and state levels as well as of lower-ranging government offices, people working in the parliamentary wing of Germany's parties, and representatives from think tanks and associations.

These interviews made it clear that the issue of rebound effects in businesses is underrepresented in policy discussions − especially because useful definitions and metrics are lacking. This means that rebound effects and how to avoid them are rarely part of the formation and implementation of policy instruments that promote energy efficiency.

The interviews touched upon several possibilities to avoid rebound effects, which are refined in this working paper.