ISO 17742:2015

Overview

ISO 17742:2015 - Energy efficiency and savings calculation for countries, regions and cities provides a harmonized framework for quantifying energy efficiency improvements and energy savings at sub‑national and national scales. It defines two complementary approaches - indicator-based and measure-based methods - for calculating energy savings across end‑use sectors (households, industry, tertiary/services, agriculture, transport). The standard excludes energy supply sectors (e.g., power plants, refineries, coal mines) and is intended for geographical entities rather than individual households or companies.

Key topics

• Scope and boundaries: Applies to countries, regions and cities; energy consumption excludes feedstock energy. Includes behind‑the‑meter renewables as potential contributors to calculated savings.
• Two calculation methods:
  • Indicator‑based method: Uses energy indicators (e.g., mean gas consumption per dwelling) and statistical drivers to estimate savings and structure effects.
  • Measure‑based method: Aggregates the saving effects of discrete end‑user actions or policy measures using unitary savings, baselines and adjustments.
• Adjustments and baselines: Defines energy baselines and adjustment factors (weather, production throughput, behavior) to ensure comparable results.
• Types of savings: Distinguishes realized (ex‑post) and expected (ex‑ante) savings and identifies contributions and overlaps between measures.
• Quality and transparency: Requires documentation enabling independent reproduction; addresses double counting, technical interaction and reliability of figures.
• Structure of the standard: Detailed guidance in Clauses 3–5; examples of indicators in Annex A and levels of detail for measure‑based calculations in Annex B.

Applications

ISO 17742:2015 is practical for:

• National and municipal governments quantifying policy impact and progress toward energy or climate targets.
• Regional planners and city administrations assessing urban efficiency programs and reporting energy performance.
• Energy analysts, NGOs and international organizations conducting ex‑post and ex‑ante evaluations.
• Program designers and evaluators who need transparent, reproducible methods for reporting energy savings.

Use cases include evaluating energy efficiency programs, estimating savings from appliance or building upgrades, and compiling sectoral energy‑savings statistics for policy reporting.

Related standards

• ISO 17743 (general principles, reporting and system boundaries) - ISO 17742 builds on these principles.
• ISO/IEC 13273‑1 - referenced for definitions related to energy baselines.
• Developed under ISO/TC 257 (Evaluation of energy savings).

By following ISO 17742:2015, stakeholders can produce consistent, transparent energy efficiency and energy savings calculations for countries, regions and cities, supporting robust policy assessment and international comparability.