U.S. energy service companies (ESCOs) are very interested in expanding their businesses outside the U.S. Despite the needs of many countries for ESCO involvement, ESCOs face many challenges (i.e. marketing, financial, institutional, political and cultural impediments). Using Japan as an example,...

Energy use in the Japanese residential sector has more than doubled (on a per-household basis) during the post-war period. Important factors contributing to the increase include changes in the types of housing built, heating, cooling, water-heating equipment, and other appliances. In this paper,...