1. Olav Ljones London group. September 30 , 2008
Comparing terminology between accounts and statistics. Energy statistics, balances and accounts,
Olav Ljones
London group. September 30 , 2008

2. 1. Introduction Energy is important
Official statistics in the field of energy – unclear role
Oslo Group – a city group established to improve this

3. 2. How to measure energy in statistics
Science of physics
Energy is carried by commodities
Measured in tons etc or by energy units as Joule
The role of conversion factors

4. 3. The totality – and boundaries
Energy is all over
Energy creates wealth and income differneces
Energy and environment
The boundaries – what to measure as production

5. 4. Transformation of energy
Primary and secondary energy
Energy may be transformed to other energy carriers

6. Relevant handbooks UN handbook from 1982
“Energy Statistics Manual” IEA/OECD and Eurostat 2005
The SEEA handbook from 2003
The future: IRES etc and SEEA-E

7. 6. Official statistics a full system with consistency or coherence
Statistics is a wide concept and covers many types of data
systems that put together data both for supply and demand side – will be a part of energy statistics. These systems may be labelled balances or accounts

8. 7. Reserves and stocks extraction from non renewable resources
Stocks of produced (previous extracted) will however be important for energy statistics.

9. 8. The Concept of Production
important to observe that the most relevant definition of production may differ between energy statistics for economic purposes and energy statistics for environment purposes

10. 9. Units
The term unit seems to be used in two distinct interpretations
Accounting units, the measuring unit for energy
reporting or observation unit . Enterprise or establishment

11. 10. Residence and territory principle.
National accounts are basically based upon the residence principle
The territory principle - which is used in Energy Balances - should in principle not include energy used abroad by inland units and should include energy used on the national territory by foreign units.
The precise empirical difference between residence and territory may be difficult to measure.
Bridge tables

12. 11. Balances and Accounts
Balances: an overall accounting framework in which all sources of energy or at least all those relevant to the analysis – can be expressed in a single accounting unit so that the flow of each can be traced from its origin in production or imports through transformation to delivery (with or without transformation) to exports or to inland final energy users.” (UN 1982 §13)
Accounts:
Energy Asset accounts (reserves).
Energy Flow accounts

13. UN 2008, Global assessement of energy accounts
Energy asset accounts
Energy flow accounts (for each energy commodity ?)
Physical energy asset accounts’
Monetary energy asset accounts
Physical energy flow accounts
Monetary flow accounts
In Q 55 Energy balances listed as a possible data source for energy flow accounts

14. SEEA-E, Draft Ch 1-4
Asset accounts in physical and monetary units (stock accounts)
Supply and use tables for energy products in physical and monetary units (flow accounts)
Energy related air emission accounts
Hybrid accounts
Protection expenditure accounts and resource management accounts
Physical asset accounts
Monetary asset accounts
Physical flow accounts
Monetary flow accounts
Asset accounts for exploration and evaluation activities
Physical supply tables for energy products
Asset accounts for inventories of energy products

15. IRES Energy balances Energy accounts, bridge tables Supply and use
Territory and residence principle
Production boundary
Energy sources, carriers, commodities
Renewable non renewable
Flows and stocks, reserves
Statistical units – population of units
Final use, consumption
Units of measurement, Conversion factors

16. 12. Conclusions
Energy statistics should be strengthened as a part of official statistics
Collect data from respondents once and use may times
Globalisation is a challenge for official statistics in general and so also for energy statistics
The concept of statistics is a wide concept and is meaningful in most contexts
Energy balances seems at present to be rather well defined
Energy accounts seem at the present to be used in various ways
Accounts: Documentation – metadata may prevent confusion