Energy balance

An energy balance shows calculated according to the consumption of primary and final energy. It thus forms a basis for the assessment of production processes, procedures and plans. With the energy balance, the energy consumption is represented in terms of quantity, so that the expense judged and energy losses can be identified. The energy balance provides a basis for the economical use of energy.

The energy balance of features at sustainable methods of production the entire expenditure for production, for operation and reclamation ( recycling or disposal ) of products. In this case, not only the energy consumption in the production of, for example, a refrigerator considered, but also the production and disposal of the required energy and resources ( gray energy).

For power plants, the energy balance is given from the manufacture and operation of the work as so-called crop factor or the energy payback time.

Germany

Annual energy balances are for the Federal Republic of Germany since 1971 - created eV by the Working Group on Energy Balances - looking back to the year 1950.

Examples

• For engines such as heaters for the essential measure of the energy balance is their efficiency.
• For buildings, the heating energy is the heat losses faced by poor insulation.
• For heating the building is energy on the energy equivalents can be compared. The energy balance of the extraction of raw materials must be observed to availability by the consumer. In the production of spruce wood is, for example, (only ) was spent between 1.1 % to 4.2% of the energy contained in the raw material to delivery to the forest road - but to the consumer, it's mostly a long way.