What impacts the strength of perceived barriers to and drivers of energy efficiency in manufacturing SMEs?

Dolšak, Janez (author), Hrovatin, Nevenka (author), Zorić, Jelena (author)

In the manufacturing sector, improving energy efficiency in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is typically more challenging than in larger companies. Although the barriers to and drivers of energy efficiency measures (EEMs) are relatively well researched and identified in the literature, little attention has been paid to the factors that influence how SMEs perceive them. This study uses a sample of 220 manufacturing SMEs in Slovenia to econometrically assess the relevance of a comprehensive set of firm-, business-, energy- and energy efficiency–related characteristics to the barriers to and drivers of EEMs identified in the literature. The objective of this study is to identify which factors influence the importance of various barriers and drivers while accounting for firm heterogeneity. The results show that among the most influential factors of perceived barriers are energy intensity and export orientation, which are associated with the lower importance of perceived barriers, while debt works in the opposite direction. Surprisingly, firm size does not have an impact on barriers, except for one - the additional risk involved in EE investments, whereas it impacts several drivers. A low level of competition in the market and ownership of the firm's premises also contribute to the lower intensity of perceived barriers. In terms of the perceived importance of drivers, the most influential factors are firm size, the presence of an energy-responsible person in the firm and the company's employee energy efficiency awareness programme. Among the approaches to improve energy efficiency, the introduction of an energy policy or energy management system and certifications have the greatest influence on removing barriers, while energy consulting is not found to be significant. Furthermore, the importance of drivers is mainly positively associated with energy audits. These results provide useful policy implications for how to address the energy efficiency gap in manufacturing SMEs by targeting factors that would most effectively lower barriers to and strengthen drivers of energy efficiency.

• Language: English
• Keywords: SMEs, industry, energy balance, sustainable development, energy efficiency measures, barriers, drivers, manufacturing, ordered response models
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 10, iss. 1, art. e24020
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-156345
• UDC: 620.9
• ISSN on article: 2405-8440
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24020
• COBISS.SI-ID: 179882755
• Publication date in RUL: 21.05.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Heliyon
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2405-8440
• COBISS.SI-ID: 21607432

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: majhna in srednja podjetja, industrija, energetska bilanca, trajnostni razvoj

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: P5-0117
• Name: Trajnostna konkurenčnost slovenskega gospodarstva v evropskem in globalnem okviru

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business