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 or trade energy commodities.
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 1995 onwards.
Frequency
Annual. Quarterly figures for important key figures are published in the StatLine table ‘Energy balance sheet; key figures’.
Publication strategy
Energy balance sheet; supply, transformation and consumption
Annual figures
• Revised provisional figures: June/July of the following year
• Definite figures: October/November of the following year
With the publication of revised provisional annual figures the underlying monthly balance sheets retain their provisional character. There are monthly balance sheets of energy commodities natural gas, hard coal, electricity, petroleum products, crude and motor fuels. Upon publication of the definite annual energy balance sheet the monthly balance sheets will be definite.
Energy balance sheet; key figures
Annual figures:
• Provisional figures: February/March of the following year
• Revised provisional figures: June/July of the following year
• Definite figures: October/November of the following year
Quarterly figures:
Provisional figures:
• first quarter: December of the same year
• second quarter: January of the following year
• third quarter: January/February of the following year
• fourth quarter: February/March of the following year
Revised provisional figures:
• all quarters and annual figures: June/July of the following year
Definite figures:
• all quarters and annual figures: October/November of the following year.
Note:
With the publication of revised provisional annual figures the underlying monthly balance sheets retain their provisional character. There are monthly balance sheets of energy commodities natural gas, hard coal, electricity, petroleum products, crude and motor fuels. Upon publication of the definite annual energy balance sheet the monthly balance sheets will be definite.
How is the survey conducted
Survey type
The informants are the energy companies and energy consumers in all sample sizes 0 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, extensive monthly questionnaire
• Indigenous production, transformation and consumption of energy, extensive quarterly questionnaire
• Indigenous production, transformation and consumption of energy, brief quarterly questionnaire
• Consumption of Energy, brief annual questionnaire
• Crude and petroleum products, extensive monthly questionnaires
• Indigenous production, production and consumption of renewable energy, monthly and annual questionnaires
In addition registrations are used (with aggregated figures) that are derived from:
• The Agricultural Economics Institute: consumption of energy in agriculture
• 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
• Energie-Nederland: household consumption of energy
• Statistics Netherlands -International trade: imports and exports of energy commodities
Respondents
In the Netherlands based companies, that process, store or trade energy commodities.
Sample size
The sample consists of about 4,000 companies.
Checking and correction methods
- The energy balance must be balanced. The supply side of the balance consists of the total available energy by energy commodity, i.e. the sum of indigenous production, imports and exports, stock changes and own production. Production is distinguished into production of electricity, heat, renewable energy, nuclear energy and waste and other energy commodities. The consumption side of the balance consists of consumption by the energy sector and total consumption by deliveries. Consumption is broken down by energy transformation into other energy commodities and final consumption.
- 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.
- Imports and exports are compared to the international trade statistics.
Weighting
Not applicable.
Quality of the results?
Accuracy
Natural gas is reported in million cubic metres (m3), coles in million kilos (kg), crude and petroleum products in million kilos (kg) and electricity in million kilowatt-hours (kWh). In the energy balance sheet the unit petajoule (PJ) is used for all energy commodities.
Sequential comparability
The figures are, with the exception of the following break in series, 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.
The break in series in the results of the Energy balance sheet reporting year 2007
As a result of two changes in definitions a break in series occurs on the results of the energy balance sheet in 2007.
Revisions
In 2005 the results of 1990 and 1995 to 2003 were revised. A number of inconsistencies were revealed in the calculation of CO2 emissions and by a greatly improved survey of renewable energy. The result of the corrections was a revised time series 1995-2003 in the StatLine table Energy balance sheet. In July 2008 this revision is calculated back to 1946 for the key figures. For more information on the revision see the articles: Revision Dutch energy balance sheet 1995-2003, and Revision break in series.
Quality strategy
- All completed forms are checked. Any questions are discussed with the respondent.
- Where possible, results are compared with other figures of Statistics Netherlands, e.g. the international trade statistics.
- Statistics Netherlands follows the international energy statistics quality guidelines (see the Energy Statistics Manual by International Energy Agency (IEA) and Eurostat).