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# International Recommendations for Energy Statistics (IRES) — Front Matter

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United Nations

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ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/93

Department of Economic and Social Affairs
Statistics Division

Statistical Papers, Series M No. 93

International Recommendations for Energy Statistics (IRES)

United Nations
New York, 2018

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**Department of Economic and Social Affairs**

The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat is a vital interface between global policies in the economic, social and environmental spheres and national action. The Department works in three main interlinked areas: (i) it compiles, generates and analyses a wide range of economic, social and environmental data and information on which States Members of the United Nations draw to review common problems and to take stock of policy options; (ii) it facilitates the negotiations of Member States in many intergovernmental bodies on joint courses of action to address ongoing or emerging global challenges; and (iii) it advises interested Governments on the ways and means of translating policy frameworks developed in United Nations conferences and summits into programmes at the country level and, through technical assistance, helps build national capacities.

**Note**

The designations used and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The term “country” as used in this publication also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas.

Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document.

ST/ESA/STAT/SER.M/93
United Nations Publication
Sales No. E.14.XVII.11
ISBN: 978-92-1-161584-5
eISBN: 978-92-1-056520-2
Copyright © United Nations, 2017
All rights reserved

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## Contents

- Preface — vii
- Acknowledgements — ix
- List of abbreviations and acronyms — xi
- Chapter I. Introduction — 1
  - A. Background — 2
  - B. Purpose of the international recommendations for energy statistics — 3
  - C. Users and uses of energy statistics — 6
  - D. IRES development process — 8
  - E. Structure of IRES — 8
  - F. Summary of recommendations — 10
  - G. Implementation and revision policy — 15
- Chapter II. Scope of energy statistics — 17
  - A. Energy and energy statistics — 17
  - B. Basic concepts and boundary issues: an overview — 18
- Chapter III. Standard International Energy Product Classification — 21
  - A. Introduction — 21
  - B. Purpose and scope of SIEC — 21
  - C. Classification criteria and coding system — 23
    - Coding system — 23
  - D. Definitions of energy products — 27
- Chapter IV. Measurement units and conversion factors — 41
  - A. Introduction — 41
  - B. Measurement units — 41
    - 1. Original units — 42
    - 2. Common units — 45
  - C. Calorific values — 45
    - 1. Gross and net calorific/heating values — 45
    - 2. Default vs. specific calorific values — 46
    - 3. How to calculate average calorific values — 47
    - 4. Default calorific values — 48
    - 5. Units recommended for dissemination — 54
- Chapter V. Energy flows — 55
  - A. Introduction — 55
  - B. Concept of energy flows — 55

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  - C. Definition of main energy flows — 56
  - D. Energy industries — 58
    - 1. Electricity and heat — 61
    - 2. Transformation processes — 63
  - E. Other energy producers — 64
  - F. Energy consumers and energy uses — 65
    - 1. Energy consumers — 65
    - 2. Cross-classification of uses and users of energy — 66
- Chapter VI. Statistical units and data items — 71
  - A. Introduction — 71
  - B. Statistical units — 71
    - 1. Statistical units and their definitions — 71
    - 2. An illustrative example — 73
    - 3. Statistical units for energy statistics — 75
  - C. Reference list of data items — 75
    - 1. Characteristics of statistical units — 75
    - 2. Data items on energy flows and stock levels — 78
    - 3. Data items on production, storage and transmission capacity — 81
    - 4. Data items for assessment of economic performance — 83
    - 5. Data items on mineral and energy resources — 85
- Chapter VII. Data collection and compilation — 87
  - A. Legal framework — 87
  - B. Institutional arrangements — 88
  - C. Data collection strategies — 89
    - 1. Scope and coverage of data collection — 89
    - 2. Organization of data collection — 92
  - D. Data sources — 93
    - 1. Statistical data sources — 93
    - 2. Administrative data sources — 96
  - E. Data compilation methods — 97
- Chapter VIII. Energy balances — 101
  - A. Introduction — 101
  - B. Scope and general principles of energy balance compilation — 102
  - C. Structure of energy balance: an overview — 104
    - 1. Top block—energy supply — 105
    - 2. Middle block—transfers, transformation, use and losses — 106
    - 3. Bottom block—final consumption — 107
    - 4. Statistical difference — 109
  - D. Templates of detailed and aggregated energy balances — 109
  - E. Data reconciliation and estimation of missing data — 112
    - 1. Accuracy requirements — 112
    - 2. Estimation of missing data — 112
    - 3. Reconciliation — 112
  - F. Commodity balances — 113

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- Chapter IX. Data quality assurance and metadata — 115
  - A. Introduction — 115
  - B. Data quality, quality assurance and quality assurance frameworks — 115
    - 1. Data quality — 115
    - 2. Quality assurance — 115
    - 3. Data quality assurance frameworks — 116
    - 4. Obectives, uses and benefits of quality assurance frameworks — 118
    - 5. Dimensions of quality — 118
    - 6. Interconnectedness and trade-offs — 120
  - C. Measuring and reporting on the quality of statistical outputs — 121
    - 1. Quality measures and indicators — 121
    - 2. Examples and selection of quality measures and indicators — 122
    - 3. Quality reports — 122
    - 4. Quality reviews — 124
  - D. Metadata on energy statistics — 125
- Chapter X. Dissemination — 129
  - A. Importance of energy statistics dissemination — 129
  - B. Data dissemination and statistical confidentiality — 130
  - C. Reference period and dissemination timetable — 132
  - D. Data revision — 133
  - E. Dissemination formats — 134
  - F. International reporting — 134
- Chapter XI. Uses of basic energy statistics and balances — 135
  - A. Introduction — 135
  - B. The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Energy — 135
    - 1. Main differences between energy balances and energy accounts — 136
    - 2. Adjustments for the compilation of energy accounts — 138
  - C. Energy indicators — 139
  - D. Greenhouse gas emissions — 141
    - 1. Climate change and GHG emissions — 141
    - 2. IPCC guidelines for estimating GHG emissions — 142
    - 3. Energy emissions and energy statistics — 143
- Annex A. Primary and secondary products; renewables and non-renewables — 145
- Annex B. Additional tables on conversion factors, calorific values and measurement units — 149
- References — 153

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### Tables

- 1.1 Summary of the main recommendations and encouragements contained in IRES — 11
- 3.1 Standard International Energy Product Classification (SIEC) — 24
- 4.1 Default net calorific values for energy products — 48
- 4.2 Influence of moisture content on net calorific values of standard fuelwood (wood with one per cent ash content) — 52
- 4.3 Conversion table for fuelwood (wood with 25 per cent moisture content) — 52
- 4.4 Recommended units for dissemination — 54
- 5.1 Energy industries with reference to the relevant ISIC category — 59
- 5.2 Main activity producers and autoproducers of electricity and heat — 62
- 5.3 Main categories of energy consumers — 66
- 5.4 Mode of transport — 68
- 6.1 Mineral and energy resources relevant for energy <!-- source reads "energy56": the "56" is the marker of document footnote 56, attached to the table title (see the [^56] anchor on Table 6.1 in 06-statistical-units.md); not caption text --> — 85
- 6.2 Categorization of mineral and energy resources relevant for energy — 85
- 8.1 Template of a detailed energy balance — 110
- 8.2 Template of an aggregated energy balance — 111
- 11.1 Energy Indicators linked to the social dimension — 139
- 11.2 Energy Indicators linked to the economic dimension — 140
- 11.3 Energy Indicators linked to the environmental dimension — 141

### Boxes

- 1.1 The United Nations Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics — 4
- 4.1 International System of Units — 41
- 5.1 Principal, secondary and ancillary activities — 59
- 9.1 Template for a Generic National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) — 117
- 9.2 Selected Indicators for Measuring the Quality of Energy Statistics — 123
- 9.3 Metadata items for statistical releases — 127
- 11.1 Methods for the estimation of GHG emissions from fossil fuel combustion — 143

### Figures

- 5.1 Diagram of the main energy flows — 56
- 5.2 Cross classification of uses and users of energy — 67
- 6.1 Example of a large oil corporation — 74
- 8.1 Uses of energy and their presentation in an energy balance — 109

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## Preface

The International Recommendations for Energy Statistics (IRES) provide a comprehensive methodological framework for the collection, compilation and dissemination of energy statistics in all countries irrespective of the level of development of their statistical system. In particular, IRES provides of a set of internationally agreed recommendations covering all aspects of the statistical production process, from the institutional and legal framework, basic concepts, definitions and classifications to data sources, data compilation strategies, energy balances, data quality issues and statistical dissemination.

IRES was prepared in response to the request of the United Nations Statistical Commission, at its thirty-seventh session (7–10 March, 2006), to review the United Nations manuals on energy statistics, develop energy statistics as part of official statistics, harmonize energy definitions and compilation methodologies and develop international standards in energy statistics.

The preparation of IRES was carried out by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) in close cooperation with the Oslo Group on Energy Statistics and the Intersecretariat Working Group on Energy Statistics (InterEnerStat).

A major milestone of IRES is the Standard International Energy Product Classification (SIEC), which is the first standard classification for energy products. It has been built on a set of internationally harmonized definitions of energy products developed by InterEnerStat as mandated by the United Nations Statistical Commission. The adoption of SIEC as an international standard classification for energy products represents a significant step forward for energy statistics at the international level. SIEC not only provides a unified set of product definitions, but also uses a standard coding scheme and a common hierarchy of categories, and provides links to other internationally agreed product classifications, such as the Central Product Classification (CPC) and the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS). In addition to its use within traditional forms of energy statistics, such as energy balances, SIEC may also serve in frameworks that aim to combine energy statistics with other statistical domains, such as energy accounts used within the field of environmental-economic accounting.

The present document has undergone an extensive preparation process that included consultations with experts, two rounds of worldwide consultation and a final review by the Expert Group on Energy Statistics. The United Nations Statistical Commission, at its forty-second session (22–25 February 2011), adopted IRES as a statistical standard and encouraged its implementation in all countries. The Commission also supported the work of UNSD on the Energy Statistics Compilers Manual to provide additional practical guidelines in the collection and compilation of energy statistics.

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## Acknowledgements

The International Recommendations for Energy Statistics have been prepared by the United Nations Statistics Division in close collaboration with the Oslo Group on Energy Statistics and the Intersecretariat Working Group on Energy Statistics. The process also involved other experts who provided advice on specific topics, countries and international/regional organizations participating through two rounds of global consultation, and the participants of the Expert Group on Energy Statistics, who reviewed the document prior to its submission to the Statistical Commission.

Members of the Oslo Group on Energy Statistics who contributed to the drafting and review of the document include: Mr. G. Brown (Australia), Mr. W. Bitterman (Austria), Mr. Y. Yusifov (Azerbaijan), Mr. J. Lacroix (Canada), Mr. A. Kohut (Canada), Mr. A. A. Zarnaghi (Denmark), Mr. T. Olsen (Denmark), Mr. P. K. Ray (India), Ms. G. S. Rathore (India), Mr. M. Howley (Ireland), Mr. C. R. López-Pérez (Mexico), Mr. H. Pouwelse (Netherlands), Mr. A. Tostensen (Norway), Ms. K. Kolshus (Norway), Mr. O. Ljones (Norway), Ms. J. E. W. Toutain (Norway), Mr. S. Peryt (Poland), Mr. A. Goncharov (Russia), Mr. J. Subramoney (South Africa), Mr. P. Westin (Sweden), Mr. I. MacLeay (United Kingdom), Mr. P. Kilcoyne (United States), Mr. A. Gritsevskyi (International Atomic Energy Agency), Mr. J. Y. Garnier (International Energy Agency), Ms. K. Treanton (International Energy Agency), Mr. P. Loesoenen (Eurostat) and Mr. R. Mertens (Eurostat).

UNSD is grateful to Mr. Ljones and Mr. Garnier for leading the Oslo Group and the Intersecretriat Working Group on Energy Statistics, respectively, and their contribution to the preparation of IRES.

The preparation of IRES was undertaken under the supervision and guidance of Mr. V. Markhonko (UNSD) and concluded under the overall supervision of Mr. R. Becker (UNSD). Mr. Markhonko, Ms. I. Di Matteo, Mr. L. Souza, Mr. O. Andersen, Mr. A. Blackburn and Mr. Becker were involved in the drafting of the text at various stages of the drafting process.

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## List of abbreviations and acronyms

| Abbreviation | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| API | American Petroleum Institute |
| BPM6 | Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual |
| Btu | British thermal unit |
| CHP | Combined Heat and Power |
| CPC | Central Product Classification |
| DQAF | Data Quality Assessment Framework |
| EEA | European Environmental Agency |
| ESCM | Energy Statistics Compilers Manual |
| Eurostat | Statistical Office of the European Communities |
| GCV | Gross Calorific Value |
| GDP | Gross Domestic Product |
| GHG | Greenhouse Gas |
| GTL | Gas-to-Liquids |
| GWh | Gigawatt-hour |
| HS | Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System |
| IEA | International Energy Agency |
| InterEnerStat | Intersecretariat Working Group on Energy Statistics |
| IPCC | Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |
| IRES | International Recommendations for Energy Statistics |
| ISIC | International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities |
| LNG | Liquefied Natural Gas |
| LPG | Liquefied Petroleum Gas |
| kWh | Kilowatt-hour |
| NQAF | National Quality Assurance Framework |
| NCV | Net Calorific Value |
| NGL | Natural Gas Liquid |
| OECD | Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development |
| SBP | Special Boiling Point |
| SDMX | Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange |
| SEEA | System of Environmental-Economic Accounting |

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| Abbreviation | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| SEEA-Energy | System of Environmental-Economic Accounting for Energy |
| SI | Systèmes International d’Unités |
| SIEC | Standard International Energy Product Classification |
| SIMS | Single Integrated Metadata Structure |
| SNA | System of National Accounts |
| TES | Total Energy Supply |
| Tce | Ton of coal equivalent |
| Toe | Ton of oil equivalent |
| UN | United Nations |
| UNFC | United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources |
| UNFCCC | United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change |
| UNSD | United Nations Statistics Division |
| VAT | Value added tax |