Using energy efficiently is generally considered to be essential for a continuing prosperous future. As a result, i
mproving efficiency has beco
me a focus of attention, and recently a lot of ti
me and effort has been expended to develop new energy efficiency
methodologies and technologies. Considering the a
mount of focused attention, the rate of i
mprove
ment has not been encouraging. Hu
man behaviour is an i
mportant factor of the energy efficiency challenge, and research has revealed several consu
mer profiles with significantly different perceptions on energy issues. In this study, the focus is not on consu
mers but on energy efficiency professionals. A nu
mber of Finnish energy efficiency professionals fro
m both the private and public sectors were surveyed revealing that experts have decidedly different perceptions regarding energy efficiency.
Our analysis of survey results suggests that energy efficiency expertise comes from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds, and that instead of working on common ground, experts with differing perspectives are endeavouring to make progress in a complex and multifaceted arena. Focusing on specific areas in which players need to share a common understanding of terminology and where common and clearly stated goals can be established should result in an acceleration of efficiency improvement results.