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.
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.
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).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Not applicable.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
No data are confidential.
8.1. Release calendar
Dissemination of data is not bound by an advance release calendar.
8.2. Release calendar access
not applicable
8.3. Release policy - user access
In line with the Community legal framework and the European Statistics Code of Practice Eurostat disseminates European statistics on Eurostat's website (see item 10 - 'Accessibility and clarity') respecting professional independence and in an objective, professional and transparent manner in which all users are treated equitably. The detailed arrangements are governed by the Eurostat protocol on impartial access to Eurostat data for users.
Data are disseminated simultaneously to all interested parties through a database update and on Eurostat's website.
The PEFA manual and other methodological information can be downloaded from Eurostat's website.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
To ensure quality of the data Eurostat implements the following procedures/guidelines:
- Provision of methodological guidelines to assist countries in compiling PEFA
- Provision of the PEFA-builder, an IT tool that allows the population of PEFA questionnaire based on available national energy statistics (IEA/ESTAT Annual Questionnaires) and additional information from the respondent.
- Extensive validation procedure of the data received in consultation with the reporting country. The validation tools check:
inappropriate symbols
consistency
plausibility (e.g. comparison with Eurostat's energy balances; changes in time series; comparison between air emission accounts and PEFA; comparison with OECD data on air transport)
11.1. Quality assurance
To ensure quality of the data Eurostat implements the following procedures/guidelines:
- Provision of methodological guidelines to assist countries in compiling PEFA
- Provision of the PEFA-builder, an IT tool that allows the population of PEFA questionnaire based on available national energy statistics (IEA/ESTAT Annual Questionnaires) and additional information from the respondent.
- Extensive validation procedure of the data received in consultation with the reporting country. The validation tools check:
inappropriate symbols
consistency
plausibility (e.g. comparison with Eurostat's energy balances; changes in time series; comparison between air emission accounts and PEFA; comparison with OECD data on air transport)
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The overall data quality is considered medium to good at the current stage of PEFA development. However, further improvements of data quality can be expected in the coming years when the production of PEFA will develop more into a routine, both in Member States and in Eurostat.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The users include policy makers in Commission DGs, European Parliament, Council, environmental ministries, environmental NGOs, as well as students and other citizens interested in the the interaction between the economy and the environment as regards the transfer and use of energy in its various forms.
The relevance of PEFA is enhanced by using a conceptual framework consistent with National Accounts, which allows, e.g. to put in relation with estimates of production, value added, employment, GDP, etc.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
There are no systematic studies of user satisfaction. Eurostat has regular hearings with European policymakers and contacts with the research community and other stakeholders to monitor the relevance of the statistics produced and identify new priorities.
12.3. Completeness
The data set in principle is complete for six reference years (2014-2020).
Reported data for a single year are complete, meaning they encompass all the NACE production activities of the national economy and all energy flows (natural inputs, products, residuals). The breakdown into transformation use (questionnaire table B1) and end use (table B2) is not reported (reporting of these tables is not obligatory).
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Will be calculated and provided by EUROSTAT.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The overall accuracy is considered to be good but cannot be quantified.
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
Every year by the 30 September, Member States have to transmit to Eurostat data for the pre-previous reference year, i.e., with a timeliness of T+21 months.
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):
There are no breaks in 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
The data are coherent with principles, definitions and concepts in National Accounts (ESA - European System of Accounts), energy statistics (IRES - International Recommendations for Energy Statistics), and Environmental Accounting (SEEA - System of Environmental-Economic Accounting).
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable; reported PEFA data are only annual.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
he data are coherent with principles, definitions and concepts in National Accounts (ESA - European System of Accounts)
15.3.3. Do you cooperate with national colleagues compiling AEA?
They are the beneficiary of our data
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)?
PEFA is compiled by energy statistics department, based on energy statistics primary data.
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)?
Foreign trade data is provided by foreign trade statistics.
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)?
PEFA is compiled by energy statistics department, based on energy statistics primary data.
The aggregated data are checked against energy statistics, as far as the methodology permits it.
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.
2 persons * 2 month just for filling in PEFA (energy statistics compilation is not included)
17.1. Data revision - policy
Every year Eurostat publishes the reference years reported by countries, which may lead to revisions of data previously published. Data are not revised systematically in between annual releases.
17.2. Data revision - practice
During first months after the data release revisions may be possible due to updates/corrections received from countries.
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)?
Energy statistics data, Romanian Civil Aviation Authority (AACR) , Romanian Naval Authority (ANR), Ministry of Finance, data provided by companies with filling stations and/or cashless payment services (fuel cards)
18.1.2. Which are the main data sources you employ for supply of energy products (e.g. electricity, refinery products etc.)?
Energy statistics data
18.1.3. Which are the main data sources you employ for the transformation use by energy transforming entities (NACE 2-digit divisions)?
Energy statistics data
18.1.4. Which are the main data sources you employ for the end use by end user entities (including non-energy use)?
Energy statistics data
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?
No auxiliary data have been used; the consumption data at NACE 2 digits is the result of energy stratistics data at division level.
18.1.6. Do you use the PEFA builder? If yes: for populating the PEFA Tables, or for control only?
We use a National PEFA Builder, Not the Eurostat PEFA Builder
18.1.7. Which data sources do you use to make adjustments for the residence principle?
We have decided to approach three other sources simultaneously, because we have learned that they complete each other and offer an important tool for data cross-checking: data provided by the Ministry of Finance, based on VAT refunding; data provided by companies with filling stations and/or cashless payment services (fuel cards); dedicated survey for freight and passenger road transport;
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual data collection
18.3. Data collection
Energy statistics data collection
18.4. Data validation
as requested by PEFA template
18.5. Data compilation
See the following points.
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?
For autoproducers, only the heat sold was assigned to NACE D35; the rest was assigned to the main activity of the respective autoproducer.
18.5.3. Which method do you use for the allocation of road transport energy use to NACE industries and households?
Road transport consumptions is allocated according to the main activity of the enterprice.
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)?
the consumption data at NACE 2 digits is the result of energy stratistics data at division level.
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)?
The AEA is the benefiaciary of PEFA data. The assignment of energy use to economic activities is done according to energy statistics consumptions.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
No comment
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.
The data refer to the calendar year.
The data refer to the calendar year.
The overall accuracy is considered to be good but cannot be quantified.
The unit of measure is terajoule (TJ).
See the following points.
Data sources used to produce physical energy flow accounts are described in the following sub-concepts.
Data are disseminated annually.
Every year by the 30 September, Member States have to transmit to Eurostat data for the pre-previous reference year, i.e., with a timeliness of T+21 months.
Data on PEFA are compiled according to international guidelines and insofar comparable. Application of the PEFA Builder tool ensures comparability to a certain extent.
