Abstract
It is often stated that people do not desire energy itself but the ‘energy services’ it provides. Despite its importance, initial searches revealed no obviously dominant definitions of the term ‘energy services’, and inconsistent illustrative examples. This paper presents the results of a content analysis and literature review which aimed to answer the question: ‘what are energy services?’. One hundred and eighty-five articles from the journals Energy Policy and Energy Research and Social Science containing the term “energy service*” in the title, abstract or keywords were analysed, and additional documents relevant to the concept were identified for review. In total, 27 definitions of ‘energy services’ were recorded, and 173 separate examples (such as ‘space heating’ or ‘lighting’). Thematic analysis of the definitions revealed a number of recurring themes, such as ‘useful energy/work’ and the provision of ‘benefits’ to people. Previous literature suggested the importance of distinguishing between ‘energy services’ and the ‘end services or states’ which they help obtain. On the basis of the identified themes, examples and conceptual discussion, the following definition of ‘energy services’ is proposed: Energy services are those functions performed using energy which are means to obtain or facilitate desired end services or states.
Highlights
As Hunt & Ryan ([1]: 1) observe: ‘Energy practitioners often emphasize that energy is desired not for its own sake, but for the services that it produces, such as space and water heating, cooling, lighting, cooking, etc.’ ‘energy services’ are often referred to in this way, it is surprisingly hard to find widely cited definitions of the term by searching online or in bibliographic databases
Sometimes examples were not explicitly claimed to be energy services; for example: ‘the scope of energy access to include not just heat and light but other aspects such as mechanical power and mobility’ [8]. In such cases the terms were still recorded with distinct codes5 – but because it is not completely clear that the authors intended to imply that these constituted energy services, they have not been included in the analysis presented here
Of the 185 documents included in the content analysis (CA); 19 were coded as including what could be considered a definition of energy services – all from Energy Policy
Summary
As Hunt & Ryan ([1]: 1) observe: ‘Energy practitioners often emphasize that energy is desired not for its own sake, but for the services that it produces, such as space and water heating, cooling, lighting, cooking, etc.’ ‘energy services’ are often referred to (and exemplified) in this way, it is surprisingly hard to find widely cited definitions of the term by searching online or in bibliographic databases. The aim of this paper is to explore the ways in which the concept of ‘energy services’ has been interpreted and defined by researchers. This is achieved through a combination of content analysis (CA) and literature review. The final product constitutes a guide to the concept that will make it easier for researchers to communicate with clarity and precision about energy services in the context relevant to them. It proposes a new definition of energy services based on the analysis and review
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