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National reference metadata

Italy

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.

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Physical energy flow accounts (env_pefa)

National Reference Metadata in Single Integrated Metadata Structure (SIMS)

Compiling agency: Istat

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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).

The PEFA questionnaire is available on Eurostat's website: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/environment/methodology

28 September 2023

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.

Italy

The data refer to the calendar year.

Accuracy is generally satisfactory. The high level of accuracy for the data reported is guaranteed by the comparison and integration of energy data from various sources.

The unit of measure is terajoule (TJ).

Overview of macro-phases in compiling Italian PEFA:
1. Starting from the different energy data sources, we carry out an integration between data sources with the aim to construct a physical “Supply&Use” table by product (44 energy products, plus 5 non-energy products used for energy purposes):
PRODUCTION + IMPORT = CONSUMPION + EXPORT + CHANGES IN INVENTORIES
The “Supply&Use" table is constructed “in primis” according to the territory principle and then, inserting the appropriate adjustments, according to the residence principle.
2. Consumption is divided into “Transformation use” and “End use”.
3. “End use" is divided into "Final consumption of households" and "Intermediate consumption of productive activities".
4. The "Total production" and the "Total intermediate consumption" (separately for “Transformation use” and “End use”) is broken down by industry (98 branches).
5. Natural energy inputs and Energy losses are allocated.
6. Compilation of Bridge Table, in which we highlight all the elements that differentiate the "Net domestic energy use” of PEFA from the "Gross inland energy consumption (GIEC)" of National Energy Balance.

Data sources used to produce physical energy flow accounts are described in the following sub-concepts.

Data are disseminated annually

PEFA are nationally published usually in November, depending on Eurostat checks (see 8.1 point), with reference to year t-2, but we are working to be able to estimate year t-1 (albeit with a lower level of detail).

Data on PEFA are compiled according to international guidelines and  insofar comparable.

Please see the table in 15.2.1.1.