Abstract
The paper explores the impact of early stage and established entrepreneurs on industrial energy consumption across European countries for the period 2001−2017. It proposes that industrial energy consumption is a complex multifaceted result of value-added activities conducted by different types of entrepreneurs and the quality of macroeconomic and entrepreneurial framework conditions, which support or hinder entrepreneurial activity and consequently energy use. After selecting the most appropriate model using a panel Bayesian averaging model approach, a fixed effects panel regression analysis was conducted to investigate more deeply the impact of different types of entrepreneurs on industrial energy consumption. The results show that early stage and established entrepreneurs exhibit different behavioral patterns with respect to energy use. The former follows, although statistically insignificantly, a U-shaped energy use curve. By contrast, the latter follows statistically significantly an inverted U-shaped curve. Additionally, the results confirm the important role of the governments and other policy authorities in creating favorable framework conditions, which can support the changes in behavioral energy practices and the development of new or established businesses aiming for sustainability.