Indirect and Direct Energy Requirements of City Households in Sweden: Options for Reduction, Lessons from Modeling

The objective of this article is to explore the potential for lowering household energy use given existing local support systems, in this case in the Stockholm inner city with the aid of the Dutch energy analysis program (EAP) that was adapted to Swedish conditions and that portrays total energy use for 300 consumption categories. Previously such modeling for Sweden was carried out using only Dutch databases. Our case‐study area is well equipped with food stores, local markets, public transportation, and entertainment, facilitating some energy‐efficient consumption choices. With maintained expenditure levels but changed consumption patterns, current reduction potentials are on the order of 10–20%. Options concerning diet can lower food indirect energy use by up to 30%, whereas options in other areas have a lower potential. Further reductions will require enhanced local support systems, external as well as internal. The results indicate that it is risky not to use nationally adapted figures for energy efficiency in the production sectors when modeling household energy use, because potential for change may be overlooked. Future work should include foreign energy intensities when modeling imported goods; otherwise, results may be less reliable. The Swedish EAP needs further work before it can be put to use as a modeling tool for everyday behavior, but it is already generating important possibilities for producing reliable data that can be used by local energy counselors.