Dutch energy balance sheet

Statistics Netherlands follows the international energy statistics quality guidelines (see the Energy Statistics Manual by International Energy Agency (IEA) and Eurostat) as well as the internal strategy on quality which has been based on ISO guidelines.

What does the survey comprise?

Purpose

Providing insight into the energy flows in the Netherlands. The Dutch energy balance sheet consist on the one hand of indigenous production, imports and exports and stock change and on the other hand of energy consumption.

Target population

Companies based in the Netherlands that process, store or trade energy commodities, households and transport.

Statistical unit

Statistics Netherlands has a general business register (ABR) describing the Dutch business population as statistical units. The statistical units Enterprise, Enterprise Group and Local Unit are derived from this register. The register forms the basis for the definition of the population and the sampling of many business statistics, including the energy statistics. 

Date/year survey started

Some key figures are available from 1946 onwards. The complete energy balance sheet broken down by many energy commodities and sector of industry is available from 1990 onwards.

Frequency

Annual.

Publication strategy

Energy balance sheet; supply, transformation and consumption

• Provisional key figures: June/July of the following year

• Revised provisional figures: June/July of the following year

• Definite figures: November/December of the second following year

How is the survey conducted

Survey type

The informants are the energy companies and energy consumers in all sample sizes 5 to 9. We require a balance sheet of energy commodities. Furthermore we use registrations.

Survey method

The survey is conducted through questionnaires that can be completed online:
• Indigenous production, transformation and consumption of energy, monthly and annual questionnaire
• Consumption of energy in manufacturing sector, annual questionnaire
• Crude and petroleum products, monthly questionnaires

In addition, registrations are used (with aggregated figures) that are derived from:
• TenneT: imports and exports of electricity
• TNO: indigenous production of crude oil and natural gas
• GasUnie Transport Services (GTS): indigenous production, imports and exports of natural gas
• Zebra: imports of natural gas: supply of electricity and natural gas, production of electricity by natural gas engines in agriculture.
• CertiQ: production of renewable electricity and renewable heat
• Vertogas: production of green gas
• Rijkwaterstaat Environment: Energy balance of waste incinerators and landfills
• Agricultural Economics Institute: purchases of heat and oil products
• Statistics Netherlands - International trade: imports and exports of energy commodities

Respondents

In the Netherlands based companies, that process, store or trade energy commodities, households and transport.

Sample size

The sample consists of about 4,000 companies.

Checking and correction methods

• For each respondent the energy balance must be balanced. At national level the difference between supply and consumption should be not too large.
• The opening stock of the current period must be equal to the closing stock of the last period.
• Individual and aggregated figures get a plausibility check. This is done by comparing the previous period with the corresponding periods of previous years.
• Where possible, results will be compared with other figures from CBS (including for example the statistic on international trade in goods) or outside of CBS (Dutch Emissions Authority for energy consumption related to CO2 emissions, TNO for storage and extraction of natural gas, KNMI for weather data).

Weighting

Within the industry, there is integrated observation among large enterprises, a sample survey among medium-sized enterprises and estimations for the small enterprises. In case of an increment, the number of persons employed at the enterprise is used as an auxiliary variable.

Quality of the results?

Accuracy

The energy balance is presented in Petajoule (PJ) with one digit behind the decimal point. Smaller-sized phenomena cannot be observed (accurately). It is difficult to provide a summarised overview of the quantitative accuracy of the figures. Statistical disparities are being published for some major energy commodities (gasoil, electricity and natural gas). The size of such disparities may give an indication of the level of uncertainty in total demand or total supply, generally amounting to a maximum of 2 percent.

Sequential comparability

The figures are comparable in terms of definitions. In addition to the publication of the figures, the change in the classification of the different sectors, respectively SIC93 and SIC2008, are taken into account.

Various adjustments have taken place over the past few years, which have led to increased comparability between figures from 1990 onwards until the present moment. These adjustments do not cover the period prior to 1990. As a result, there is reduced comparability between years prior to 1990 and after 1990.

Quality strategy

Statistics Netherlands follows the international energy statistics quality guidelines (see the Energy Statistics Manual by International Energy Agency (IEA) and Eurostat) as well as the internal strategy on quality which has been based on ISO guidelines.