Saving Electricity in a Hurry: a Japanese Experience After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011

Abstract

The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 brought about huge power shortage. In order to avoid blackouts, the Japanese society reduced its power demand by 12 % in the summer of 2011. TOKYO and TOHOKU areas, where power shortage was especially severe and mandatory rationing of 15 % was introduced, reduced its power demand by almost 20 %. This paper gives overview of the power saving activities in Japan after the Earthquake, and analyzes how Japanese industry achieved such dramatic demand reduction. Results are based on the questionnaire survey we conducted after the summer 2011. We estimate that more than 70 % the demand reduction in the commercial sector was achieved by limiting use of lighting and air-conditioning, while in large industrial firms 40 % of the demand reduction was by increasing in-house power generation, and 30 % by shifting hour of operation. We also report preliminary findings of the follow-up survey conducted after the summer of 2012, and discuss some implications for persistent savings.

Full text

Saving Electricity in a Hurry: A Japanese Experience after the Great East
Japan Earthquake in 2011
Osamu Kimura and Ken-ichiro Nishio, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry
ABSTRACT
The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 brought about huge power shortage. In
order to avoid blackouts, the Japanese society reduced its power demand by 12 % in the summer
of 2011. TOKYO and TOHOKU areas, where power shortage was especially severe and
mandatory rationing of 15 % was introduced, reduced its power demand by almost 20 %. This
paper gives overview of the power saving activities in Japan after the Earthquake, and analyzes
how Japanese industry achieved such dramatic demand reduction. Results are based on the
questionnaire survey we conducted after the summer 2011. We estimate that more than 70 % the
demand reduction in the commercial sector was achieved by limiting use of lighting and air-
conditioning, while in large industrial firms 40 % of the demand reduction was by increasing in-
house power generation, and 30 % by shifting hour of operation. We also report preliminary
findings of the follow-up survey conducted after the summer of 2012, and discuss some
implications for persistent savings.
Introduction
Most industrialized nations now have well-developed, reliable power systems. However,
there is always a possibility of sudden power shortage. The sources of shortage vary widely.
They may be major technical failures, severe weather, or other environmental incidents. Indeed,
electricity shortfalls have occurred in almost every part of the world because of various causes
(IEA 2005; Meier 2009; Pasquier 2011). When such incidents should happen, regions have to
reduce electricity demand in a very short period of time to avoid blackouts.
This paper examines Japanese the experience of power saving activities after the Great
East Japan Earthquake that occurred in 11 March 2011. Due to the damages to the power
systems, as well as shutdowns of nuclear power plants after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
disaster, Japan has been facing a severe electricity shortfall. In order to avoid blackouts, the
government initiated a power-saving strategy, including an intensive information campaign and a
mandatory rationing scheme for large customers in the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas. As a result
of those efforts, Japan reduced its power demand by 12 % in summer 2011.
The objective of this paper is to analyze how this large reduction of electricity demand
was achieved and to discuss some policy implications. In spite of the great magnitude of the
demand reduction and the efforts by the Japanese society, the experience has been rarely
reported in the international literature. Since the magnitude of power shortage as well as
achieved demand reduction in summer 2011 in Japan is among the largest in the reported cases
(IEA 2005; Pasquier 2011), it should have important implications for many countries. The paper
focuses on industrial and commercial sectors. Electricity saving activities in residential sector is
reported in (Nishio and Ofuji 2012). Based on a questionnaire survey conducted after 2011
summer, the paper investigates achieved demand reduction, implemented measures, and impact
2-1©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

to business activities in the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas. In the last section of the paper
preliminary findings of the follow-up survey conducted after summer 2012 is also reported to
discuss persistency of power saving activities.
Overview of Power Shortage and Demand Reduction in 2011 Summer
The Earthquake caused extensive damages to power stations and transmission grids along
the Pacific coast in service areas of TOHOKU and TOKYO Electric Power Companies (see
Figure 1). It was estimated that over 27 GW in the two areas was out of service by 21 March
2011, 10 days after the Earthquake (IEEJ 2011). In the TOKYO area, rolling blackouts were
implemented from March 14 for two weeks. In April the situation was eased as the weather
became warmer and power supply recovered. Still, it was expected that the TOKYO and
TOHOKU areas would be short of their electricity supply by 7 and 10 percent, respectively, in
the peak period of summer (Electricity Supply-Demand Emergency Response Headquarters
2011).
Figure 1. Japanese Utilities and Their Service Areas
Source: adopted from (FEPC 2012) with modification.
In May 2011 the government established an emergency action plan to save electricity for
summer 2011. The numerical targets of demand reduction compared to the 2010 summer level
were set as 15 percent for the TOHOKU and TOKYO areas, and 10 percent for the KANSAI
area. No target was set for the other areas. While the 10 percent target of the KANSAI area was
voluntary, the 15 percent target of the TOHOKU and TOKYO areas was mandatory for large
customers with contract demand of more than 500 kW, based on Article 17 of Electricity
Business Act (Power Saving Order). Those large firms had to cut electricity demand by 15
percent in the period of 9 am to 8 pm, 1 July to 22 September, compared to the same period of
the previous year. In case of intentional non-compliance to the Power Savings Order up to one
million JPY (approximately 12,000 USD) would be fined. The government also launched
initiatives to raise public awareness and reduce demand of small customers, such as an intensive
public campaign, voluntary agreements, and technical assistance (Yamashita 2011).
3.11 Earthquake
Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant
2-2 ©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

As a result of extraordinary efforts by all sectors, a remarkable demand reduction was
achieved. Electricity demand after the Earthquake through summer 2011 in two regions kept
below the level of the previous year by more than 15 percent on average in the TOKYO and
TOHOKU areas (Figure 2). Estimation of sectoral demand reduction reveals that not only large
customers with mandatory targets but also small customers and households made important
contribution in reducing electricity demand (Table 1).
Figure 3 shows how daily and weekly demand curves in TOKYO have changed after the
Earthquake. In summer 2011, demand was reduced even in off-peak hours and in weekends,
while demand reductions in peak-hours (9 am to 8 pm) and in weekdays was larger than in off-
peak hours or in weekends. Although demand shift measures were widely implemented among
large industrial plants, as is discussed later in this paper, they were not popular in buildings and
households and thus had limited impact at the grid level in TOKYO.
It should be noted that there was basically no change of electricity price in 2011,
excluding fuel cost adjustments. Only TOKYO Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has raised
electricity rates by 17 percent for commercial users since April 2012, and by 8 percent for
households since September 2012. Other power companies are still either under governmental
screening process or under consideration, as of March 2013.
Figure 2. Trend of Electricity Demand in Weekdays in TOKYO and TOHOKU Areas,
Before and After the Earthquake
Notes: The lines show moving one-week averages of daily peak demand of weekdays in 2010 and 2011 in TOKYO
and TOHOKU areas. Data is from websites of TOKYO and TOHOKU Electric Power Companies.
Table 1. Estimation of Electricity Demand Reduction by Sector in Summer 2011 Compared
to 2010 Summer Levels (Weather-Adjusted)
TOKYO TOHOKU KANSAI
Target - 15 % - 15 % - 10 % or more
Results - 19 % - 18 % - 8 %
Large customers - 27 % - 18 % - 9 %
Small customers - 19 % - 17 % - 10 %
Households - 11 % - 18 % - 4 %
Note: Large/small customers mean those with a contract demand of more/less than 500 kW in commercial and
industrial sectors. Source: METI (2011).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2/1 3/1 4/1 5/1 6/1 7/1 8/1 9/1
2010 TOKYO
2011 TOKYO
2010 TOHOKU
2011 TOHOKU
[GW]
3.11 Earthquake
2-3©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

Figure 3. Average Electricity Demand in TOKYO Area in Summer, Before and After the
Earthquake (Without Weather-Adjustment)
Notes: Average demands from July to September in respective years are presented.
Data is from website of TOKYO Electric Power Companies.
Research Questions and Survey Design
Seeing the large demand reduction in summer 2011, it is important to understand how
such savings were achieved in detail and to examine what lessons can be learned from the
experience. For that purpose we conducted a questionnaire survey to 27,830 firms all over Japan
excluding the OKINAWA area (see Figure 1). The survey period was November to December,
2011. The survey was designed so as to answer the research questions that follow.
RQ1: By what measure did firms reduce their electricity demand? The major task of our
survey is to understand what measures were implemented to save electricity in summer 2011 in
detail. We also conducted interview surveys with more than 20 firms before and after the
summer, which revealed that the major part of demand reduction was achieved by a limited
number of measures, such as limit of lighting/air-conditioning, shift to off-peak, and increase of
in-house power generation. Therefore the survey focuses on those key measures.
RQ2: Were there any progress in energy efficiency activities after the Earthquake? In this
paper, emergency measures are differentiated from efficiency measures (Table 2). An important
difference between them is that emergency measures have adverse effects on firms’ activities,
while efficiency measures not. For example, limiting use of lighting and air-conditioning
basically undermines amenity, which may lead to lower productivity. While emergency
measures have an indispensable role in saving electricity in a hurry, efficiency measures should
also be promoted where possible in order to avoid negative effect. Furthermore, increasing
energy efficiency is a requisite in reducing firms’ electricity cost and emission of carbon dioxide.
Indeed, electricity crisis can provide a good momentum to promote energy efficiency activities
from a longer perspective.
RQ3: How negative was the effect of saving electricity? The major objective of saving
electricity is to avoid blackouts that would cause huge costs to the society. However, emergency
measures also have negative effect as explained above. This fact cannot be neglected, especially
a. Weekday average, excluding holiday b. Average of each day of the week
20
30
40
50
0
:
0
0
2
:
0
0
4
:
0
0
6
:
0
0
8
:
0
0
1
0
:
0
0
1
2
:
0
0
1
4
:
0
0
1
6
:
0
0
1
8
:
0
0
2
0
:
0
0
2
2
:
0
0
2012
2011
2010
[GW]
30
35
40
45
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
2012
2011
2010
[GW]
2-4 ©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

when the electricity shortfall is prolonged as is the case with Japan after the Earthquake. Also,
this is relevant because the degree of negative effect would affect the persistency of savings. For
example, electricity saving activities that are costly or undermine productivity would not be
persisted after the crisis.
Table 2. Measures to Save Electricity
Category Sub category Examples
Emergency measures
Reduce use/activity - Limit use of lighting and air-conditioning.
- Reduce production/operation.
Shift to off-peak - Shift hours of operation to mid-night, early-morning, or
off-peak seasons.
Fuel switching - Introduce in-house power generators.
- Introduce engine-driven compressors.
Efficiency measures
Improve operation and
maintenance
- Optimize operation of equipment.
- Housekeeping and maintenance.
Investment - Introduce heat recovery systems, inverters etc.
- Replace with high-efficiency equipment.
Survey Results: How Firms Cut Electricity Demand in Summer 2011
We received 6,262 responses (22.5 percent response rate), of which 3,658 samples from
the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas are analyzed in this section. Full length reports including the
complete survey results are available as research reports in Japanese (Kimura et al. 2012; Kimura
2012; Kimura and Nishio 2013).
Estimated Demand Reduction and Its Breakdown by Measure
Peak demand reductions of the samples in the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas in summer
2011 were approximately 15 percent in industrial sector and 20 percent in commercial sector
(Figure 4). It is estimated that more than 70 percent the demand reduction in the commercial
sector was achieved by limiting use of lighting and air-conditioning. This result is consistent
with the fact that in offices and stores the major share of electricity consumption is in lighting
and air-conditioning. In large industrial firms, 40 percent of the demand reduction was estimated
to be achieved by increasing in-house power generation, and 30 percent by shifting hour of
operation. Breakdown of demand reduction in small firms showed an intermediate feature
between large firms and commercial buildings.
2-5©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

Implemented Measures
Lighting and air-conditioning equipment. Implementation rates of measures that are classified
as emergency ones were quite high as a whole (Figure 5). Reducing the number of lamps, which
is called “thin out lightings” in Japan, became very popular after the Earthquake. Reduction rates
of lamps in working areas averaged 17.3 percent in industrial plants, 26.0 percent in office
buildings, and 23.6 percent in other commercial facilities. Another popular measure was raising
cooling temperature settings. The average temperature setting in office buildings was raised from
26.0 degree C to 27.6 degree C in summer 2011. This is partly because of the success of so-
called “Cool-Biz” campaign in Japan, which has been promoted by the government since 2005,
advising firms to set cooling temperature at 28 degree C to reduce electricity consumption.
On the other hand, implementation rates of efficiency measures were rather low,
regardless of whether behavioral or technological. Reducing ventilation is considered to be a
very effective measure in reducing air-conditioning demand without compromising amenity
because many buildings are over-ventilated because of lack of proper control (Kimura 2011).
However, less than 10 percent implemented the measure. Management practices such as
measuring lighting levels and indoor CO2 concentration are also important for proper
lighting/ventilation controls, but were implemented only in 20 to 30 percent of the samples.
These results indicate that efficiency measures and energy management practices received little
attention despite the high interest in saving electricity.
Figure 4. Peak Demand Reduction by Measure in the TOKYO and TOHOKU Areas
Notes: The figure shows average reduction rates by sector and their breakdowns by measure in the collected
samples. Large/small customers mean those with a contract demand of more/less than 500 kW.
2.1%
7.4% 4.5%
2.3%
4.6%
7.4%
9.7%
1.3%
1.5%
2.0%
1.7%
1.5%
4.5%
1.5%
4.0%
2.8% 1.3%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
Large
(n=254)
Small
(n=69)
Large
(n=88)
Small
(n=80)
Industrialsector Commercialsector
Othermeasures
In‐housepowergeneration
Shifttooff‐peak
Reduseoperation
Efficiencyinproductionprocess
OAequipments
Air‐conditioning
Lighting
15.7%
13.2%
20.1%
18.1%
2-6 ©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

Figure 5. Measures Taken For Lighting and Air-Conditioning Equipment in TOKYO and
TOYOKU
Note: Percentage of survey respondents are presented.
Motor-driven equipment in industrial plants. It is difficult to survey electricity saving
activities related to production processes because of great heterogeneity. Therefore the survey
focused on common conservation measures in fans, pumps and air-compressors. Implementation
rates of basic measures of saving electricity were not high, except for air-leakage check (Figure
6). While some 20 to 30 percent intensified those basic measures in summer 2011, more than 50
percent did not implement many of them.
Figure 6. Measures Taken for Motor-Driven Equipment in Industrial Plants in TOKYO
and TOYOKU
Shifting operation to off-peak periods. This measure played a very important role in cutting
peak demand of large industrial customers in summer 2011, as shown in Figure 3. Popular
methods adopted in industrial plants include rotatory operation (52 percent and 21 percent in
15%
33%
18%
16%
17%
9%
26%
18%
14%
8%
8%
14%
11%
10%
7%
67%
27%
53%
60%
68%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Adjust air pressure (N=1089)
Air-leakage check (N=1128)
Optimise multi-units (N=1116)
Adjust volume of fans/pumps (N=1035)
Introduce variable speed drives (N=1030)
Implemented as the same as in 2010 Intensified compared to 2010
Started (not implemented in 2010) No implementation
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Reduce lamps ("thin out lightings")
Switch off lighting when/where unneeded
Raise air-conditioning temperature settings
Switch off air-conditioners
Reduce ventilation
Pre-cooling
Fine-tuning of air-conditioning system
Replace lighting with LED
Replace lighting with HF-fluorescent lamps
Replace air-conditioners with more efficient ones
Measure lighting levels in offices
Measure indoor CO2 concentration
Consult with manufactures/experts
Industrial plants(n=1259) Office buildings(n=1554) Other commercial facilities(n=832)
E
m
e
r
g
e
n
c
y
(
b
e
h
a
v
i
o
r
)
E
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y
(
b
e
h
a
v
i
o
r
)
E
f
f
i
c
i
e
n
c
y
(
t
e
c
h
n
o
l
o
g
y
)
M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t
2-7©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

large and small industrial customers, respectively) and shifting to mid-night and/or early-
morning (50 percent and 22 percent). Much higher implementation rates of those measures by
large customers indicate the strong incentive that the mandatory rationing scheme provided.
Reduced operation is also listed in Figure 7, showing 5 to 11 percent of implementation.
Figure 7. Measures Taken to Shift Operating Hours to Off-Peak in Industrial Sector in
TOKYO and TOYOKU
Note: Large/small customers mean those with a contract demand of more/less than 500 kW
Use of in-house power generation. This was another important measure to cut peak demand in
large industrial facilities, as shown in Figure 3. Twenty four percent of our samples of industrial
facilities used in-house power generators in some ways as a mean to cut electricity demand and
to prepare for possible blackouts in summer 2011. Industrial facilities with larger contract
demand had higher implementation rates of those measures (Figure 8). This indicates that larger
firms had to resort to investing in in-house power generation to meet the 15 percent reduction
target. In office buildings and other commercial facilities, those who undertook those measures
were 7 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
Figure 8. Use of In-House Power Generation as Response to Electricity Shortage in
Industrial Plants According to the Size of Contract Demand, in TOKYO and TOHOKU
Impacts and Costs of Electricity Saving Activities
Both positive and negative impacts of the electricity saving activities were observed. The
survey asked about perceived impacts and actual costs incurred to save electricity in summer
2011. As for the positive side, more than 60 percent considered that the activities in summer
2011 increased workers’ awareness in saving energy costs. Similarly, 50 percent admitted that
52%
16%
50%
10%
11%
19%
21%
14%
22%
5%
5%
58%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Rotatory operation (incl. weekend operation)
Increased non-business days
Shifted to mid-night/early-morning
Shifted to other seasons
Reduced operation
None
Large customers (N=277)
Small customers (N=292)
3%
11%
17%
22%
26%
8%
7%
9%
18% 12%
3%
5%
9%
7%
89%
72%
64%
49%
33%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
0‐500kW(N=400)
500‐1000kW(N=289)
1000‐2000kW(N=244)
2000‐5000kW(N=144)
5000kW‐(N=76) Newinstallation
Expandedcapacity
Restartedexistingcapacity
Increasedoperation
Morethantwo
Nochangeinoperation
Nocapacity
2-8 ©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

the activities formed the basis of continuous energy improvement within their organization.
On the other hand, adverse effect of saving electricity was also perceived by respondents.
Such perception was particularly strong in large industrial customers. Sixty one percent of the
samples of large customers in industrial sector recognized adverse effect of the activities, while
40 percent of large customers in commercial sector did so. As for small customers, only about 30
percent pointed adverse effect.
Three measures turned out to be especially “burdensome”, although they are effective in
saving electricity: use of in-house power generators, shift to off-peak periods, and reduced
operation. We grouped the samples of large industrial customers into five groups according to
the implementation status of the three measures (Figure 9). Firms that took none of those
burdensome measures (group 5) had a significantly lower perception of the negative impact.
We also asked how much cost was incurred by electricity-saving activities in summer
2011. Average cost incurred at large industrial customers was 15 million JPY, while at other
customers 2.4 million JPY. The percentage of respondents who replied that saving electricity
incurred no cost was 22 percent in large industrial customers, while it was 61 percent in
commercial sector. Furthermore, responses of cost breakdown showed that 47 percent of the cost
was incurred for installing and/or operating in-house power generators.
The above results, together with the high rate of shifting to off-peak and using in-house
power generators in large industrial customers (see Figure 7 and 8), show that saving electricity
was burdensome and costly for large industrial customers, but they had to resort to those
measures to comply with the mandatory rationing.
Figure 9. Perception of Large Industrial Customers about the Adverse Effect of Saving-
Electricity Activities, According to Their Implementation Status of “Burdensome”
Measures
Notes: Group 1 is those who implemented more than two of the three burdensome measures. Group 2 to 4 is those
who implemented each of the three measures alone. Group 5 is those who did none of the three measures.
Did electricity-saving activities in the 2011 summer have large adverse effect?
28
25
20
16
4
40
35
45
40
33
19
23
16
24
36
10
10
13
16
21
3
6
6
4
6
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Group 1 (took more than two of the three, n=225)
Group 2 (used in-house power generation, n=48)
Group 3 (shifted to off-peak, n=363)
Group 4 (reduced operations, n=25)
Group 5 (took none of them, n=81)
Strongly agree Agree Neither Disagree Strongly disagree
2-9©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

It is also interesting to see that reducing lamps by more than 20 percent on average in
commercial facilities was not perceived as very inconvenient. While 20 percent agreed that it had
negative impact, only 4 percent chose “strongly agree”. This implies that Japanese offices may
have had excessive lighting thus far. This is supported by existing literature (Kimura 2011) and
anecdotal evidence from our interview survey in and after the 2011 summer.
Still Continuing? Preliminary Results from a Follow-up Survey in 2012
The electricity crisis in Japan has not been terminated yet in 2013. Suspension of almost
all of the nuclear power plants in the country is causing serious supply shortfall. Nevertheless,
the supply-demand balance has been a little relaxed, compared to it was in the TOKYO and
TOHOKU areas in summer 2011. This is partly due to expanded capacity of thermal power
plants and restart of Ohi nuclear power plant in KANSAI area, but also due to persisted savings
of electricity.
In May 2012, the government set quantitative targets of demand reduction in KANSAI,
KYUSHU, HOKKAIDO, and SHIKOKU as 10 percent, 10 percent, seven percent, and five
percent, respectively, for summer 2012. No target was given to the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas
because of the increased supply capacity as well as expected demand saving activities. Those
decisions were made based on the assessment of the Electricity Supply-Demand Review
Committee of the government. Demand reduction achieved in summer 2012 is summarized in
Table 3, showing that saving was persisted even without targets that the government set or a
mandatory rationing scheme.
In order to improve our understanding of the persistency of saving activities, we
conducted a follow-up survey to the samples of the 2011 survey with valid address, which
totaled 5,326. The survey period was from November to December in 2012. We received 2,497
responses. A preliminary result from the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas is summarized in Figure
10.
Table 3. Estimation of Electricity Demand Reduction by Sector in the 2012 Summer
Compared to 2010 Summer Levels (Weather-Adjusted)
TOKYO TOHOKU KANSAI KYUSHU HOKKAIDO SHIKOKU
Target No target No target - 10 % - 10 % - 7 % - 5 %
Results - 12.7 % - 5.2 % - 11.1 % - 9.5 % - 8.9 % - 8.6 %
Large customers n.a. n.a. - 13 % - 8 % - 15 % - 9 %
Small customers n.a. n.a. - 11 % - 9 % - 11 % - 9 %
Households n.a. n.a. - 10 % - 12 % - 5 % - 8 %
Notes: Large/small customers mean those with a contract demand of more/less than 500 kW in commercial and
industrial sectors. N.a.= data non available. Source: METI (2012).
2-10 ©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

Figure 10. Implementation Rate of Electricity Saving Measures (Left Axis), and Reduction
Rate of Peak Demand and Electricity Use (Right Axis) in TOKYO and TOHOKU Areas in
the Summer of 2011 and 2012
Notes: Right axis shows reduction rate compared to the 2010 summer level. Peak demand and electricity use here
represent that in summer (July to September) of each year, and that in July of each year, respectively. Reduction
rates of peak demand and electricity use are not weather-adjusted.
The reduction of peak demand and electricity use in summer 2012 compared to the 2010
level was either smaller than or around the same level as that in 2011. Still, they maintain a
remarkable reduction level: 8 to 12 percent and 16 to 21 percent of reduction were achieved in
industrial plants and commercial facilities, respectively. Implementation rates of shift to off-peak
and use of in-house power generators dropped significantly in summer 2012, indicating that
firms avoided burdensome measures in the absence of a mandatory rationing scheme. Emergency
behaviors such as reducing lamps and raising air-conditioner temperature settings were also
persisting, although the level of each activity was moderated.
As for efficiency measures, LED lighting, an example of an efficiency measure by
technology, received slightly more attention in 2012 than in 2011. On the other hand, there was
no increase in implementation of ventilation control, an example of an efficiency measure by
operational improvement. The results indicate that, while higher-efficiency technology will be
diffused gradually as the cost decreases and performance increases, promoting operational
improvement is more difficult, even in the face of such crisis.
Conclusions
Japan experienced a severe electricity shortfall since March 2011 because of the Great
East Japan Earthquake and subsequent shutdown of nuclear power plants. The supply-demand
balance was especially severe in the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas in the 2011 summer, which
forced the government to introduce mandatory rationing for large customers in those areas.
As a result of intense efforts by households, firms and the government, demand reduction
by more than 15 percent compared to the 2010 level was achieved in the two areas in summer
2011. As we discussed in this paper, it should be noted that such a large demand reduction was
accompanied by pain, especially in large industrial customers. Cutting 15% of electricity demand
a. Industrial plants b.Commercialfacilities
14.1
8.6
12.2
12.4
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2011 2012
R
E
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
R
A
T
E
C
O
M
P
A
R
E
T
T
O
2
0
1
0
L
E
V
E
L
P
E
R
C
E
N
T
O
F
R
E
S
P
O
N
D
E
N
T
S
YEAR
18.9
16.2
21.7 21.5
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2011 2012
R
E
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
R
A
T
E
C
O
M
P
A
R
E
T
T
O
2
0
1
0
L
E
V
E
L
P
E
R
C
E
N
T
O
F
R
E
S
P
O
N
D
E
N
T
S
YEAR
Reduce lamps
Raise A/C temperature settings
Reduce ventilation
Replace lighting with LED
Shift to off-peak
Use in-house power generators
Peak demand (kW) reduction
Electricity use (kWh) reduction
2-11©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

for the entire summer period required many large factories to install in-house power generators
and to shift operation to off-peak periods. Those measures turned out to be costly and
burdensome. On the other hand, electricity savings in the commercial sector mainly came from
limiting use of lighting and air-conditioning, which turned out to be much less burdensome than
in the industrial sector. This implies there was excessive electricity consumption in this sector
that could be reduced without compromising amenity.
Electricity saving was continuing as of the 2012 summer. Between 5% to 12% reductions
from 2010 levels were achieved in the TOKYO and TOHOKU areas. Although implementation
rates of major measures were lowered, emergency behaviors such as reducing lamps and raising
air-conditioner temperature settings were continued at a relatively high level.
While implementation rates of emergency measures were quite high in the 2011 summer,
efficiency measures were not widely adopted. Even in summer 2012 the situation has not
changed. This implies that the electricity crisis was not a strong enough stimulus to remove
various barriers to increasing energy efficiency. We therefore cannot be too optimistic about the
persistence of electricity savings over longer timeframes. In a prolonged electricity shortfall like
the Japanese case, it is important to convert emergency efforts from the early stages of crisis into
sustainable efficiency efforts.
References
Electricity Supply-Demand Emergency Response Headquarters. 2011. Electricity Supply-
Demand Measures in Summer Time. Tokyo, Japan: Electricity Supply-Demand
Emergency Response Headquarters.
[FEPC] Federation of Electric Power Companies. 2012. “Service Areas by Company.”
http://www.fepc.or.jp/english/about_us/service_areas/index.html. Tokyo, Japan:
Federation of Electric Power Companies.
[IEA] International Energy Agency. 2005. Saving Electricity in a Hurry: Dealing with
Temporary Shortfalls in Electricity Supplies. Paris, France: International Energy Agency.
[IEEJ] Institute of Energy Economics Japan. 2011. Impacts of East Japan Great Earthquake on
Power Supply. Tokyo, Japan: Institute of Energy Economics Japan.
Kimura, O. 2011. Promoting energy efficiency in industrial/commercial sector: Japanese
Experience. Paper presented at IPCC WGIII Symposium on AR5: Mitigation policy and
Transformation Pathways, Tokyo, Japan, 5 July.
Kimura, O., K. Nishio, N. Yamaguchi, F. Noda. 2012. Questionnaire Survey on Firms’ Activities
to Save Electricity in the Summer of 2011: Focusing on the Results from Eastern Japan.
CRIEPI Report Y12002. Tokyo, Japan: Central Research Institute of Electric Power
Industry. (in Japanese)
Kimura, O. 2012. Questionnaire Survey on Firms’ Activities to Save Electricity in the Summer of
2011, Part 2: Results from Hokkaido and Middle-West areas of Japan. SERC12006.
Tokyo, Japan: Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry. (in Japanese)
2-12 ©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

Kimura O. and Nishio K. 2013. Persistency of Electricity Savings in Firms after the Great East
Japan Earthquake: Comparison of the 2011 and 2012 Surveys. CRIEPI Report. Tokyo,
Japan: Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry. (in Japanese)
Meier, A. 2009. “How one city cut its electricity use over 30 % in six weeks.” In Proceedings of
ECEEE 2009 Summer Study, 1687-1691. Stockholm, Sweden: European Council for an
Energy-Efficient Economy.
[METI] Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 2011. Follow-up Results of Electricity
Supply–Demand Measures for this Summer. Tokyo, Japan: Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry.
[METI] Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. 2012. Follow-up Results of Electricity
Supply–Demand Measures for this Summer. Tokyo, Japan: Ministry of Economy, Trade
and Industry. (in Japanese)
Nishio K. and Ofuji K. 2012. “Behavior Change and Driving Forces to Save Electricity in the
Electricity Crisis in Japan.” In Proceedings of 2012 International Energy Program
Evaluation Conference. Madison, Wisconsin: International Energy Program Evaluation
Conference.
Pasquier, S. B. 2011. Saving Electricity in a Hurry: Updates 2011. Information Paper. Paris,
France: International Energy Agency.
Yamashita Y. 2011. “Japan 2011.” In: Pasquier, S. B. 2011. Saving Electricity in a Hurry:
Updates 2011: 32-37. Information Paper. Paris, France: International Energy Agency.
2-13©2013 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry