Bibliometric analysis of energy efficiency in the context of developed and developing countries

When we look at the studies conducted on energy efficiency in the last 30 years, researchers have studied many individual and mass effects of energy efficiency. Studies conducted in the academic field around the world constitute essential data for determining the tendencies of countries in this direction and their goals. In practice, including these academic studies is essential for achieving a country’s development and energy efficiency goals. Many studies have been conducted on how countries dependent on foreign energy should proceed in this regard and what can be done in terms of savings and the use of renewable energy. This study aims to enrich the knowledge structure in the energy efficiency literature of Turkey, Germany, and Iran, countries with different economic development levels and energy policies, and to understand how energy efficiency is addressed in different economic and political contexts. In this context, the current literature was reviewed using the bibliometric method to understand the current information network of energy efficiency research in Türkiye, Germany, and Iran and to emphasize the future direction of scientific studies in this field. The Web of Science (WoS) data of countries subject to research between 1990-2023 were taken for analysis. This study analyzed 1411 articles published in civil engineering, building construction technologies, and architecture on energy efficiency in Türkiye, Germany, and Iran. A recently developed R studio program called "bibliometrics" was used to analyze the data, and the "biblioshiny" extension was used to visualize the outputs. In this study, the correct handling of the interactions of energy efficiency with renewable energy source consumption conservation revealed that countries showed a more holistic approach to the subject. In addition, concrete data has been presented for policymakers, revealing how energy efficiency studies differ according to the level of economic development. The analyses were conducted specifically for Turkey, Germany, and Iran. In general, such studies will benefit by bringing together researchers from different fields and countries to shed new light on energy-efficiency questions in future research.