Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Commissariat général au développement durable (CGDD), Service des données et études statistiques (SDES), Sous-direction des statistiques de l'énergie (SDSE), Bureau des statistiques de la demande d'énergie (BSDE)
1.3. Contact name
Restricted from publication
1.4. Contact person function
Restricted from publication
1.5. Contact mail address
Tour Séquoia
1 place Carpeaux
92055 LA DÉFENSE CEDEX
FRANCE
1.6. Contact email address
Restricted from publication
1.7. Contact phone number
Restricted from publication
1.8. Contact fax number
Restricted from publication
2.1. Metadata last certified
29 September 2023
2.2. Metadata last posted
30 September 2023
2.3. Metadata last update
30 September 2023
3.1. Data description
Physical energy flow accounts (PEFA) is one module of the European environmental-economic accounts - Regulation (EU) 691/2011 Annex VI. PEFA record the flows of energy (in terajoules) from the environment to the economy (natural inputs), within the economy (products), and from the economy back to the environment (residuals), using the accounting framework of physical supply and use tables.
PEFA provide information on energy flows arranged in a way fully compatible with concepts, principles, and classifications of national accounts – thus enabling integrated analyses of environmental, energy and economic issues e.g. through environmental-economic modelling. PEFA complement the traditional energy statistics, balances and derived indicators which are the main reference data source for EU energy policies.
This national metadata refers to the PEFA questionnaire delivered to Eurostat: data on supply (table A), use (table B), transformation use (table B1), end use (table B2) and emission-relevant use (table C), key indicators of physical energy flow accounts by NACE Rev. 2 activity (table D), and physical energy flow accounts totals bridging to energy balances totals (table E).
Physical energy flow accounts (PEFA) datasets have the following dimensions:
Supply and use tables (STK_FLOW): the elements of this dimension are the five tables detailing energy supply (questionnaire table A) and use; the total energy use (table B) is the sum of transformation use (table B1) and end use (table B2), and a certain part of it is emission relevant (table C).
Energy product (PROD_NRG): (not relevant for questionnaire table D and E) The flows of energy recorded in PEFA are broadly grouped into natural energy inputs (flows from environment to economy), energy products (flows within economy), and energy residuals (flows from economy to environment mainly). Each of these generic groups is further broken down. In total this dimension distinguishes 31 items which are regulated in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/172.
Classification of economic activities - NACE Rev.2 (NACE_R2): (not relevant for questionnaire table E) The supply and use of energy flows is broken down by NACE classification of economic activities. The aggregation level used is A*64 (i.e. 64 branches), fully compatible with ESA supply and use tables. Furthermore, this dimension includes private households, accumulation (e.g. product inventories), the rest of the world economy for imports and exports, and the environment.
Indicators (INDIC_PEFA): (only relevant for questionnaire tables D and E): Various key indicators that can be derived from the physical supply and use tables and so-called 'bridging-items' which present the various elements explaining the differences between the national totals as reported by PEFA vis-a-vis the national totals as reported by Eurostat's energy balances.
Geopolitical entity (GEO): EU Member States, EFTA countries, candidate countries, and potential candidates.
Period of time (TIME): Energy flow data are annual.
Unit (UNIT): Energy flows are reported in Terajoules.
3.3. Coverage - sector
The data set covers the entire national economy as defined in national accounts (ESA 2010, paragraph 2.04), as well as its physical relation to economies in the rest of the world and the environment.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Physical energy flow accounts (PEFA) are conceptually rooted in the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) which is an international statistical standard. The SEEA central framework provides standard concepts, definitions, classifications, accounting rules and tables for the provision of statistics on the environment and its relationship with the economy. PEFA constitute satellite accounts to the National Accounts (NA). Hence, the statistical concepts and definitions of PEFA are derived from those of NA. As far as applicable PEFA is also compliant with the statistical concepts and definitions internationally established for energy statistics: the International Recommendations for Energy Statistics (IRES). Three concepts are essential to PEFA: 1) The concept of three generic types of energy flows as established in SEEA, namely: a) natural energy inputs: flows from the natural environment into the economy such as fossil energy carriers in solid, liquid and gaseous form, biomass, solar radiation, kinetic energy in form of hydro and wind, geothermal heat etc.; b) energy products: output flows from production processes as defined in national accounts (ESA); typically products produced by extractive industries, refineries, power plants etc.; c) energy residuals: mainly energy in form of dissipative heat arising from the end use of energy products, flowing from the economy into the natural environment. 2) The accounting framework of (physical) supply and use tables as established in NA and SEEA; 3) The residence principle as established in NA and SEEA, i.e. PEFA records energy flows related to resident unit's activities, regardless where those occur geographically.
3.5. Statistical unit
Data refer to activities of resident economic units in the sense of SEEA CF 2012 and national accounts (ESA), including households.
3.6. Statistical population
The national economy is as defined in SEEA CF 2012 and national accounts (ESA); i.e. all economic activities undertaken by resident units (see ESA 2010, paragraph 2.04). A unit is said to be a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of economic interest in the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (1 year or more) in economic activities in that territory.
3.7. Reference area
All the reported value for residence and territory principles and the associated bridging items covers Metropolitan France and overseas departments : - Guadeloupe - Martinique - Guyane - La Réunion - Mayotte It corresponds to the geographical scope of Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008.
3.8. Coverage - Time
2014-2021
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The unit of measure is terajoule (TJ).
The data refer to the calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
PEFA are legally covered by Regulation (EC) No. 691/2011 on European environmental economic accounts as amended by Regulation (EU) No. 538/2014. EEEA currently include six modules (air emissions accounts, environmentally related taxes by economic activity, economy-wide material flow accounts, environmental protection expenditure accounts, environmental goods and services sector accounts, and physical energy flow accounts).
There is primary confidentiality in table B2 and C when : - the figure is directly deduced from a national survey to industry - and, for at least one the year within the period of interest, either (it concerns less than three establishments) or (a single establishment contributes more than 85% of this result.) Secondary confidentiality leads to flagging of : - if necessary, an additional row to avoid deduction from rows R00 and P00. - all the corresponding figures within table B.
Data available to the public on https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/consommation-finale-denergie-par-secteur-pefa
Yearly
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applicable.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Data available in Excel format on https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/consommation-finale-denergie-par-secteur-pefa
Data available on Eurostat website
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not applicable.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not applicable.
11.1. Quality assurance
Same procedures as those used to ensure quality of the data reported in the IEA/Eurostat joint annual energy questionnaires ; microdata collected from administrative sources or statistical surveys, many controls / consistency and plausiblity checks carried out on microdata. Moreover, the use of the PEFA Builder ensures consistency of the way the PEFA questionnaire is filled.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Overall data revision policy can be found here: https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2020-07/politique_revision_sdes_0.pdf
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
- Public : access to secretised data
- Other services in the ministry : access to data to run models, for instance the Elfe model https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/document_travail_63_tarification_effective_energie_carbone_2022_juin2023.pdf
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Not applicable.
12.3. Completeness
Not applicable.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Same procedures as those used to ensure quality of the data reported in the IEA/Eurostat joint annual energy questionnaires ; microdata collected from administrative sources or statistical surveys, many controls / consistency and plausiblity checks carried out on microdata. Moreover, the use of the PEFA Builder ensures consistency of the way the PEFA questionnaire is filled.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable to statistical accounts.
14.1. Timeliness
PEFA compilation: approximately one month once all data sources are available.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
Not applicable.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Data on PEFA are compiled according to international guidelines and insofar comparable. Application of the PEFA Builder tool ensures comparability to a certain extent.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Please see the table in 15.2.1.1.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
15.2.1.1. Comparability - over time detailed
Please use below table for explaining b)-flags (breaks in time series):
Year (of the break in series)
Questionnaire table(s)
Columns (NACE Rev. 2 activity, households etc.)
Rows (natural energy inputs, energy products, energy residuals)
Reason for' break in time series'
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
See the following sub-concepts.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable; reported PEFA data are only annual.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Insee (French public statistics agency) has started doing comparisons between PEFA fuel breakdowns and intermediate consumptions in National Accounts. France does a monetary energy balance consistent with the physical energy balance. There is an ongoing project to further use PEFA fuel breakdowns and monetary energy balances to produce series in National Accounts.
15.3.3. Do you cooperate with national colleagues compiling AEA?
Yes. A long-term work is done with the team responsible for the AEA reporting, in order to improve consistency between the two reportings. As the two accounts rely at some stages on different sources, full consistency is not at stake.
15.3.4. Are there compilation elements that PEFA compilers jointly undertake with AEA compilers (e.g. distribution of road transport fuel use and emissions by NACE)?
We use the same data for the allocation of road transport energy and the residence principle.
15.3.5. Do you report in PEFA imports and exports according to the SEEA-CF concepts for trade in goods (see SEEA-CF section 3.3.3, paras. 3.121 ff., and para. 1.46)?
No.
15.3.6. Do you perform cross-domain plausibility checks between your PEFA data on air transport versus OECD's data on CO2-emissions of air transport?
No.
15.3.7. Do you perform cross-domain plausibility checks between PEFA data points and corresponding data points in energy statistics (see PEFA validation rules)?
We aim to have consistency between all energy related statistical production: energy balances, PEFA, AEA...
15.3.8. Do you perform cross-domain plausibility checks between PEFA data points and the corresponding data points in economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) (see PEFA validation rules)?
No.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Eurostat's validation procedures should ensure full internal consistency, at least for the mandatory data points.
1 FTE during 32 days for the exclusive production of PEFA. Additional costs notably include : - external calculations of transport data (common with AEA) - investment for update of transport methodology (common with AEA)
17.1. Data revision - policy
Overall data revision policy can be found here: https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2020-07/politique_revision_sdes_0.pdf
17.2. Data revision - practice
- Improved residence principle, especially on maritime transport (common with AEA)
- Improved and evised sectoral breakdown for industry and transport
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
18.1. Source data
Data sources used to produce physical energy flow accounts are described in the following sub-concepts.
18.1.1. Which are the main data sources you employ for the use of natural energy inputs (i.e. who is extracting)?
Same sources as those used for compiling the joint IEA/Eurostat annual energy questionnaires.
See the annual energy balance methodology for France : https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2023-03/methodologie_bilan_energie_france_mars2023.pdf
18.1.2. Which are the main data sources you employ for supply of energy products (e.g. electricity, refinery products etc.)?
Same sources as those used for compiling the joint IEA/Eurostat annual energy questionnaires.
See the annual energy balance methodology for France : https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2023-03/methodologie_bilan_energie_france_mars2023.pdf
18.1.3. Which are the main data sources you employ for the transformation use by energy transforming entities (NACE 2-digit divisions)?
Same sources as those used for compiling the joint IEA/Eurostat annual energy questionnaires.
See the annual energy balance methodology for France : https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2023-03/methodologie_bilan_energie_france_mars2023.pdf
18.1.4. Which are the main data sources you employ for the end use by end user entities (including non-energy use)?
Same sources as those used for compiling the joint IEA/Eurostat annual energy questionnaires.
See the annual energy balance methodology for France : https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2023-03/methodologie_bilan_energie_france_mars2023.pdf
18.1.5. Which auxiliary data do you use to develop 'distribution keys' to assign energy use to the detailed breakdown of production activities (NACE 2-digit divisions) and categories of household consumption?
Default NACE breakdown data have been used, except for: - Table 1: (Breakdown of Energy and non-energy use in agriculture/forestry). French structure is available and has been integrated for Electricity, Natural gas. Source: same as annual energy questionnaires. - Table 2 to 5: (Breakdown of Energy and non-energy use in industry). French structure is available and has been integrated for Electricity, Natural gas (energy and non-energy use), Heat, Renewables and main oil products. Source: same as annual energy questionnaires. - Table Z01_ENONSPEC (Breakdown of Energy and non-energy use in the energy sector (non-specified)): French structure is available and has been integrated for Coal Products and Electricity. Source: same as annual energy questionnaires. - Table 6: (Breakdown of Energy and non-energy use in commercial and public services). For these tables, French structure is available and has been integrated on the scope of NACE G45 to NACE S96, for the following products :
LPG, Non-bio/Bio Heating Oil and Other Gas Oil and Road Diesel;
Natural gas ;
Heat, Electricity ;
Solar Thermal, Solid Biofuels excluding Charcoal, Biogases, Municipal Waste (Renewable), Municipal Waste (Non-renewable), Bio Heating Oil and Other Gas Oil, Geothermal, Industrial Waste, Ambient Heat.
The structure is extended to the scope of NACE C33 to NACE E39, for the following products :
LPG, Non-bio/Bio Heating Oil and Other Gas Oil and Road Diesel; Natural gas ; Electricity
Source: national survey on energy consumption in commercial and institutional buildings (NACE G45 to NACE S96) and national survey on energy consumption in industry (NACE C33 to E39)
- Table Z05_INONSPEC (Industry detailing - Energy and non-energy use in the industry sector (non-specified)): French structure is available and has been integrated for Natural gas, Electricity, Heat, Renewables and main oil products. Source: same as annual energy questionnaires. - Table R (Breakdown of Energy and non-energy use in road transport) : French structure has been integrated, in accordance with Air Emission Account, for the following products: Non-biogasoline, Non-bio Road Diesel, Biogasoline (blended, OIL Quest.) and Bio Road Diesel. This structure might be subject to revisions due to the use of new data sources. Source: same as AEA.
- Table PH (Energy and non-energy use by private households) : Consumption is dissagregated between end-use in accordance with energy statistics (nrg_d_hhq, Disaggregated final energy consumption in households). Source : national survey on energy consumption in households.
18.1.6. Do you use the PEFA builder? If yes: for populating the PEFA Tables, or for control only?
Yes, for populating the PEFA tables.
18.1.7. Which data sources do you use to make adjustments for the residence principle?
Residence principle has been applied for water, air and road transportation, in accordance with Air Emissions Accounts. However, a default split between EU and Non-EU countries has been used: 100% - 0% for road transportation, and 50% - 50% for water and air transportation. Main sources: “Compte des transports de la nation”, Eurostat RFT, Balance of payments.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annually.
18.3. Data collection
See the annual energy balance methodology for France : https://www.statistiques.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2023-03/methodologie_bilan_energie_france_mars2023.pdf
18.4. Data validation
Comparison with previous years and previous cycles, investigating inconsistencies.
18.5. Data compilation
See the following sub-concepts.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
Not applicable.
18.5.2. Do you assign all supply of electricity and heat to NACE D35, or do you assign some to other NACE divisions than D35? Is the assignment you did fully aligned to the ESA monetary supply table submitted by your country?
All the supply of electricity and sold heat is recorded within the branch D35. This follows with Eurostat in March, 2021. It seeks to make the correspondence with national accounts more straightforward for most of the economic sectors : sales of heat and electricity are recorded within the “D35” in national accounts / SUTs, which consider them as ancillary productions.
18.5.3. Which method do you use for the allocation of road transport energy use to NACE industries and households?
See 18.1.5.
18.5.4. Which method do you use for the allocation of energy use to detailed service industries (i.e. NACE 2-digit divisions 55-98)?
See 18.1.5.
18.5.5. How do you ensure a coherent assignment of energy use to economic activities (i.e. the use of energy products by a given production activity (NACE A*64 division) reported in PEFA must be coherent with the emissions reported in AEA)?
Physical energy flow accounts (PEFA) is one module of the European environmental-economic accounts - Regulation (EU) 691/2011 Annex VI. PEFA record the flows of energy (in terajoules) from the environment to the economy (natural inputs), within the economy (products), and from the economy back to the environment (residuals), using the accounting framework of physical supply and use tables.
PEFA provide information on energy flows arranged in a way fully compatible with concepts, principles, and classifications of national accounts – thus enabling integrated analyses of environmental, energy and economic issues e.g. through environmental-economic modelling. PEFA complement the traditional energy statistics, balances and derived indicators which are the main reference data source for EU energy policies.
This national metadata refers to the PEFA questionnaire delivered to Eurostat: data on supply (table A), use (table B), transformation use (table B1), end use (table B2) and emission-relevant use (table C), key indicators of physical energy flow accounts by NACE Rev. 2 activity (table D), and physical energy flow accounts totals bridging to energy balances totals (table E).
Physical energy flow accounts (PEFA) are conceptually rooted in the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) which is an international statistical standard. The SEEA central framework provides standard concepts, definitions, classifications, accounting rules and tables for the provision of statistics on the environment and its relationship with the economy. PEFA constitute satellite accounts to the National Accounts (NA). Hence, the statistical concepts and definitions of PEFA are derived from those of NA. As far as applicable PEFA is also compliant with the statistical concepts and definitions internationally established for energy statistics: the International Recommendations for Energy Statistics (IRES). Three concepts are essential to PEFA: 1) The concept of three generic types of energy flows as established in SEEA, namely: a) natural energy inputs: flows from the natural environment into the economy such as fossil energy carriers in solid, liquid and gaseous form, biomass, solar radiation, kinetic energy in form of hydro and wind, geothermal heat etc.; b) energy products: output flows from production processes as defined in national accounts (ESA); typically products produced by extractive industries, refineries, power plants etc.; c) energy residuals: mainly energy in form of dissipative heat arising from the end use of energy products, flowing from the economy into the natural environment. 2) The accounting framework of (physical) supply and use tables as established in NA and SEEA; 3) The residence principle as established in NA and SEEA, i.e. PEFA records energy flows related to resident unit's activities, regardless where those occur geographically.
Data refer to activities of resident economic units in the sense of SEEA CF 2012 and national accounts (ESA), including households.
The national economy is as defined in SEEA CF 2012 and national accounts (ESA); i.e. all economic activities undertaken by resident units (see ESA 2010, paragraph 2.04). A unit is said to be a resident unit of a country when it has a centre of economic interest in the economic territory of that country, that is, when it engages for an extended period (1 year or more) in economic activities in that territory.
All the reported value for residence and territory principles and the associated bridging items covers Metropolitan France and overseas departments : - Guadeloupe - Martinique - Guyane - La Réunion - Mayotte It corresponds to the geographical scope of Regulation (EC) No 1099/2008.
The data refer to the calendar year.
Same procedures as those used to ensure quality of the data reported in the IEA/Eurostat joint annual energy questionnaires ; microdata collected from administrative sources or statistical surveys, many controls / consistency and plausiblity checks carried out on microdata. Moreover, the use of the PEFA Builder ensures consistency of the way the PEFA questionnaire is filled.
The unit of measure is terajoule (TJ).
See the following sub-concepts.
Data sources used to produce physical energy flow accounts are described in the following sub-concepts.
Yearly
PEFA compilation: approximately one month once all data sources are available.
Data on PEFA are compiled according to international guidelines and insofar comparable. Application of the PEFA Builder tool ensures comparability to a certain extent.
