The role of the service sector in energy use and CO 2 emissions. The indicators chosen depend on what is to be known, which depends in turn on the individuals perspective on policies and issues.
Indicators are like stock market indices.
They mark important changes in quantities of interest to policy makers and analysts. They are usually based on a disaggregated view of the link between energy use and economic or human activity. They are formed from data and from estimates where data do not exist. Indicators include both measures of structure or activity as well as measures of energy use per unit of activity. In another cut, the amount of lighting, cooling, heating, computing that takes place in each sector or each building type can be measured.