These figures are based on an evaluation carried out by Prognos AG on behalf of the state development bank. There is one more winner, the environment. According to the company, the programs reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 413,000 tons in Germany. After all, about a quarter of the final energy consumption in this country is used for industrial production processes. In addition, the investments helped secure or create 19,000 jobs for one year.

The lion’s share of the funding (94%) was applied to machinery, equipment, and process technology. Combined heat and power plants (CHP) ranked second with a share of just 4%. The energy efficiency program Production Systems/Processes can be used by any company and freelancer for new investments or modernization domestically and abroad. KfW Bankengruppe supports them with low-interest loans.

The news recently published by the Institute for Energy Efficiency in Production (EEP) of the University of Stuttgart is a lot less exiting. According to it, the Energy Efficiency Index EEI has fallen to its lowest level since the beginning of the 2013 survey. Although the almost 500 companies surveyed consistently value the importance of energy efficiency, they implement much fewer actions. “The reason could be that simple measures are often already implemented and the resources for the rapid implementation of more complex actions are lacking,” said the head of the EEP, Prof. Dr. Alexander Sauer.