Energiatarve

Energiatarve is a term used in energy planning to describe the total amount of energy that a population, region, sector, or facility requires over a given period, typically one year. It represents the demand side of the energy system and is distinct from the energy supply. Energiatarve can be expressed in energy units such as kilowatt-hours, megawatt-hours, or joules, and is often aggregated to larger scales like terawatt-hours for national assessment. It may also be reported as energy consumption or as energy intensity (energy per unit of economic output).

The concept covers all end-use sectors, including residential and commercial buildings (space heating, cooling, hot water, appliances), industry (process energy), and transport (fuels and energy services). The drivers of energiatarve include population size and structure, level of economic activity, climate and weather, energy efficiency of buildings and equipment, technology choices, energy prices, and policy measures such as efficiency standards and incentives. Seasonal and weather variations can cause significant fluctuations in demand.

Forecasting energiatarve involves various methods, typically combining bottom-up approaches (detailed data on appliance stock, occupancy, and usage patterns) with top-down approaches (macroeconomic indicators and energy balances). Scenarios may reflect different levels of economic growth, technology adoption, and policy interventions.

Applications of energiatarve analysis include informing infrastructure planning, capacity needs for electricity and fuels, and climate and energy policy. It also underpins targets for energy efficiency and demand-side management. In Finland and other cold-climate contexts, heating demand often constitutes a large portion of total energiatarve, influencing planning and decarbonization strategies.