Define energy intensity and explain its use in benchmarking.

• A. Energy consumption per unit of economic output or service; used to compare efficiency across sectors or facilities and track improvements.
• B. Total energy used by a city per year.
• C. Energy cost per consumer.
• D. The amount of energy produced per unit of electricity generated.

Answer: (A)

Energy intensity is the amount of energy used to produce a unit of economic output or deliver a service. It’s usually expressed as energy consumed per unit of GDP or per unit of production, making it a normalized measure of energy use. This normalization is what makes it useful for benchmarking: it lets you compare efficiency across different sectors, facilities, or regions without being misled by differences in size or activity level. By tracking energy intensity over time, you can see whether efficiency efforts are paying off, identify where energy is being wasted, and target improvements where they’ll have the biggest impact. It’s important to remember that energy intensity is about energy per output, not total energy use, energy cost, or energy produced per unit of electricity.