EVALUATION OF ENERGY EFFICIENT USE AT THE LEVEL OF NATIONAL ECONOMY

The paper presents the importance of evaluating energy efficient use that is explicitly stipulated in the strategic and legislative documents adopted at the national and international level, including the Directive 2012/27/EU and the Law 121/2014. Energy intensity frequently that is used in international evaluations and comparisons of energy efficient use is also used in Romania. The topic is approached both by specialists and politicians, newspapermen, representatives of the public opinion etc. This indicator has acquired axiomatic valences and its values are presented as unquestionable arguments for incontestable truths. Nevertheless, besides correct and well-balanced approaches one may come across distorted presentations and exaggerations resulting from superficially knowing the problem. The information and data presented in the paper can bring clarifications on this field. In the first place, energy intensity characterizes the economic efficiency of energy utilization and only to little extent the technical efficiency. Its value is directly linked to macroeconomic parameters, among which the parity between the national currency and the currencies in international circulation, the structure of the national economy etc. The paper presents different variants for the interpretation and calculation of the energy intensity indicator value, including the corresponding mathematical models. Based on the primary information obtained from reliable sources (National Institute of Statistics, EUROSTAT data base) values of this indicator are calculated in different variants that are considered and comparisons between the obtained results are made. Choosing the variant for defining and calculating energy intensity, respectively, depends on the purpose of the analysis to be carried out and needs to be explicitly presented together with the results obtained. The paper includes recommendations on how the calculation variants and the results obtained by carrying out these analyses according to their purpose (carrying out international comparisons, analyzing the evolution of internal situation in a certain period of time etc) should be used.