Proposal of an energy management maturity model to assess the progress achieved through mandatory energy audit application in the eu energy efficiency directive context

In the European scene, the promotion of energy efficiency is a key element of the community’s strategic effort. Among the binding measures established by the Energy Efficiency Directive of 2012 to foster this vision, the requirement for large companies to conduct energy audits with a four-years frequency was one of the most notable. Thus, following the receipt of the second round of energy audits reports, in December 2019, a new "photograph" of the energy situation of Italian companies has been made available. This presents the possibility, previously unavailable, of being able to compare the two situations reported in 2015 and 2019 in order to evaluate how the legislative obligation, and in particular the tool represented by mandatory energy audits, influenced the development of energy efficiency in the country. In order to do so, in collaboration with the Italian National Agency for Energy, a project has started with the objective to develop tools and methodologies necessary to evaluate in more detail the evolution that has taken place in the four years since 2015. In the present paper, a Maturity Model to assess the degree of progress achieved in the last four years in a company's energy management is presented. The model, realized after a comprehensive assessment of the scientific literature on this theme, comprises 5 maturity levels and 6 dimensions to cover all relevant aspects of energy management. The evaluation of the maturity level of the organization is achieved through a guided self-assessment conducted with a questionnaire of 48 questions. Moreover, through the use of the maturity model, an evaluation of the examined organization’s weaknesses and strengths is provided. In the next years, the model will be applied to a significant selection of Italian organizations in energyintensive industrial sectors.