*Article* **Energy E** ffi**ciency of Kazakhstan Enterprises: Unexpected Findings**

#### **Yelena Petrenko 1,\*, Igor Denisov 1, Gaukhar Koshebayeva 2 and Valeriy Biryukov 2**

1 Academic Department of Management Theory and Business Technologies, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow 117997, Russia; denisov.iv@rea.ru


Received: 18 January 2020; Accepted: 22 February 2020; Published: 27 February 2020

**Abstract:** The problems of e fficient use of energy costs have been actively explored in recent decades in connection with rising energy prices. During this period, the main models for assessing energy efficiency and energy managemen<sup>t</sup> were developed, including the models Total Quality Management, Six Sigma and Sustainable Value Stream Mapping. The aim of the research was to study the energy efficiency of the production and services in Kazakhstan based on materials of the large-scale national study on the estimation of production and transaction costs by these methodologies. To assess the data obtained, a statistical analysis of the dependence on the indicators of variation and ranking was used. Electricity costs are among the leading manufacturing costs and a ffect managemen<sup>t</sup> models. However, according to the maturity model of energy management, energy e fficiency in Kazakhstan is low. Despite the government's declarations of e ffective energy policies, the administrative burden for businesses remains high, and legislation does not stimulate a reduction in energy costs.

**Keywords:** costs; energy management; energy e fficiency; Kazakhstan
