WP6-Brochure-E4 brochure - ELA European Lift Association.

not rate an item. Reasons for non‐rating were various, e.g. respondents stating they did not
have any knowledge on a certain topic or not providing clear answers. The barriers that were
rated to be most relevant are coloured red, those least important, green. These highlights
provide a homogeneous picture: barriers to energy efficiency – from the point of view of the
experts surveyed – are mainly due to lack of information and transparency regarding energy
consumption of equipment (cf. operators not monitoring energy costs, decision‐makers not
aware of energy consumption) and split incentive issues in relation to bounded rationality (cf.
energy costs not paid by decision‐maker, investment more important than life‐cycle costs,
components would be more efficient if operators had more transparency). Risks and
uncertainties play a minor role, as shown by the green highlights, while capital issues received
middle‐range ratings. However, the items on lack of capital in new installations and retrofit
were also those which are based on the lowest number of ratings, i.e. nine and ten
respondents respectively did not provide a rating.
Information and transaction costs
In general, ratings indicate that, in the experience of the experts interviewed, it is not common
that operators of lifts or escalators regularly monitor the energy consumption of their
equipment. In most cases, no technical appliances are installed that would enable regular
monitoring; thus the energy consumption of lifts and escalators cannot be separated from
other equipment, e.g. lighting, automatic doors.
This is seen as related to the fact that individuals choosing equipment as well as operators and
users are not aware of the energy consumption of the equipment. Due to a low degree of
awareness, no measurement devices are installed – and due to missing data, individuals do not
become aware of potentials to increase the energy efficiency of their installations.
Information on energy‐efficient technology is, however, not regarded as especially difficult to
obtain. Main sources of information that were identified by the respondents are, however, the
manufacturers and their sales representatives. Thus neutral sources of information are missing
or insufficiently known. 5 The experts emphasised that the knowledge provided by sales
representatives is usually restricted to the technology used by their company and that energyefficient
technology is sometimes too new to be fully understood, even by company
representatives. Additionally, clients are seen as usually having little knowledge themselves,
and thus do not inquire about relevant data.
Split incentives and bounded rationality
Split incentives between general contractors, owners of installations as well as those paying
for the energy consumption of installations are also seen as a barrier hindering energy
efficiency for lifts and escalators. The costs of energy consumption are usually paid by
inhabitants – in the residential sector – who are not necessarily the owner of the building.
Additionally, buildings including a lift or escalator are often erected by a general contractor for
5 For example, in Germany, neutral information may be obtained from notified bodies.
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