ABSTRACT
Since the first oil crisis in 1973, energy policy has gained importance in the industrialized world. Energy savings measures have been implemented in many industrial sectors, in the household sector and also – with varying degrees of success – in different cities all over the world. The economies in the western world have become much more competitive – and thus more cost-sensitive – and hence any reduction in costs is always welcome to businesses; it is foreseeable that the trend towards an open European Market with more competition will stimulate a further energy cost awareness, as cost-effectiveness of urban energy–environmental policy is of paramount importance. There is an increasing trend for an industrialized society to develop towards a service-oriented society; this so-called de-industrialization process has led to less energy-intensive production methods, and it is plausible to assume that the share of energy in national production in many countries will further decline.
