Energy productivity is a paradigm for evaluating energy policy increasingly being used by G20 governments and leading companies looking to maximize the value created from energy use. At the most basic level it involves using metrics, such as energy intensity, to measure and manage the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption. For Saudi Arabia, increasing the value created from each unit of energy consumed can help with achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objectives, addressing climate change and making progress towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

A common problem facing governments is that different elements of energy policy such as conventional power, renewable energy, energy efficiency and industrial strategy are often pursued in isolation or compete with each other for attention. Energy productivity can be also used as strategic policy framework to help integrate such issues for better whole of government decisions. It does this by focusing attention on minimizing the costs of providing energy services while maximizing the benefits of energy consumption.