Statistical Unit Characteristics

Section C of Chapter VI opens the reference list of data items — covering, in turn, statistical-unit characteristics, energy stocks and flows, production/storage/transmission capacity, economic performance, and mineral and energy resources — aiming to satisfy the basic needs of policymakers, the business community and the public while ensuring international comparability. It is recommended that countries select national data items from this reference list according to their own circumstances, respondent load and resources, choosing a selection that permits an adequate assessment of the country’s energy situation and, at a minimum, an aggregated energy balance [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.23, PDF p. 89, 2018] — recommendations tracker row VI/6.3. (Parts (ii)–(v) of the reference list — data items on flows/stocks, capacity, economic performance, and resources — are covered in Pass 2 of this chapter’s ingest.)

Data items on the characteristics of statistical units (the units defined in Section B — enterprise, establishment, kind-of-activity unit, unit of homogeneous production, household) identify units uniquely, classify them within activity groups, and describe their structure, operation and relationships with other units — supporting statistics on the size, economic and geographical structure of energy industries, and underpinning sample-survey design and cross-source linkage [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.24, PDF pp. 88–89, 2018].

Table — characteristics of statistical units

Item Number	Data item
0.1	Identification code
0.2	Location
0.3	Kind of activity
0.4	Period of operation
0.5	Type of economic organization
0.6	Type of legal organization and ownership
0.7	Size

[IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.25, Table, PDF p. 89, 2018]

Identification code (0.1) — a unique, unchanging number assigned to a statistical unit, needed to register units in statistical business registers, collect data via administrative sources, provide a sampling base, and support demographic analysis of the unit population. Identification codes shared with administrative authorities facilitate statistical work, including linking the statistical business register to other registers [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.26, PDF p. 89, 2018].

Location (0.2) — the place where the unit physically performs its activities, not its mailing address; used to classify units by geographical region and, for multi-location units, to allocate activity to where it actually occurs. Sub-national geographical classification is recommended given the particular national interest in this characteristic [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.27, PDF pp. 89–90, 2018]. Mailing address, phone/fax, email and contact-person details are also important, since they support questionnaire mailing and communication with the unit [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.28, PDF p. 90, 2018]. Multi-establishment enterprises should provide location details for each establishment (or vice versa), so that enterprise/establishment linkage can be maintained in the register — care is needed for large, complex enterprises, and it may be necessary to correspond with both levels if, for example, employment and financial details come from different units [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.29, PDF p. 90, 2018].

Kind of activity (0.3) — the type of production a unit is engaged in, determined by the national activity classification, which in turn is recommended to be based on, or correlated with, the latest version of ISIC Rev. 4 [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.30, PDF pp. 89–90, 2018].

Period of operation (0.4) — the period the establishment was in operation during the reference period, covering: in-operation-since date (useful for determining electricity installed capacity as of a given date); temporary/seasonal inactivity (e.g. tracking refinery shutdowns); ceased-operation date (also relevant for installed capacity); and sold/leased-to-another-operator details (which might explain capacity/production changes between main and autoproducers). Most of this information is metadata useful for data-quality checks and for correctly interpreting returns from units affected by seasonal factors or units that began/ceased operating mid-period [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.31, PDF p. 90, 2018].

Type of economic organization (0.5) — whether an establishment is the sole establishment of its enterprise, or part of a multi-establishment enterprise; multi-establishment enterprises may be further classified by number of constituent establishments or by size criteria (employment, value added) [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.32, PDF p. 90, 2018]. Clearly defined links between individual establishments and their parent enterprise are fundamental for accurate measurement of energy flows and indicators, and for efficient sampling design and data merging across surveys [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.33, PDF p. 90, 2018].

Type of legal organization and ownership (0.6) — the legal form of the entity owning the unit, minimally distinguishing incorporated units (legal entities separate from their owners, e.g. corporations, cooperatives, limited liability partnerships, non-profits) from unincorporated units (not legally separate from their owners, e.g. general-government public agencies, household-owned sole proprietorships and partnerships) [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.34, PDF p. 90, 2018]. Ownership type — private vs. the various forms of public ownership — is a useful optional characteristic, distinguished by whether public authorities or private parties own all or a majority of a unit’s shares or other capital participation, or control the unit’s policy (e.g. by choosing its directors) [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.35, PDF p. 90, 2018]. Publicly owned units can be further disaggregated into central-government, state/provincial-government and local-authority ownership; privately owned units, into nationally owned vs. foreign-controlled [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.36, PDF pp. 90–91, 2018].

Size (0.7) — used for sample-frame stratification and grossing-up; size classes can be defined by employment, turnover or other variables. Energy statistics may need two size measures depending on analytical purpose — e.g. maximum capacity to generate energy products (though not applicable to all energy products) for studying production, and employment or number of persons for studying consumption [IRES, Ch. VI, para. 6.37, PDF p. 91, 2018].

Related

• IRES Chapter VI — Statistical Units and Data Items — the chapter digest this page supports
• Statistical Units — the unit types (enterprise, establishment, KAU, UHP, household) these characteristics describe
• International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities — the classification the “kind of activity” characteristic is based on