Net domestic energy use is an indicator derived from physical energy flow accounts (PEFA) that quantifies the total amount of energy actually consumed or “used up” by resident economic activities — thereby making it unavailable for further energy use. It encompasses:
- Final energy consumption by end users (households, industries, etc.).
- Own use of the energy sector (e.g., fuel burned in power plants to operate equipment).
- Losses from energy transformation (e.g., converting oil or gas into electricity) and distribution (e.g., energy lost in transmission lines).
- Energy used as raw material (“non-energy use”) — such as feedstock for plastics, lubricants, or bitumen — which effectively removes that energy from circulation.
- Energy used in international aviation and marine bunkers by resident units (according to the “residence principle” in national accounts).
Because it tracks both energy dissipated (primarily as heat) and energy locked into non-energy products, “net domestic energy use” highlights the share of supplied energy that cannot be recycled or reused during the accounting period. It is broken down by 64 economic activities following national accounts classification NACE Rev. 2.1, allowing detailed analysis of how different industries and household activities contribute to the overall energy “used up” in the economy.
Further information
- Physical energy flow accounts (Eurostat website)
- Regulation No 691/2011 on European Environmental Economic Accounts, consolidated version