Capital-Energy Substitution: Evidence from a Panel of Irish Manufacturing Firms

Using firm-level data from the Irish Census of Industrial Production for the period from 1991-2009, we look at how Irish manufacturing firms adjust their input mix in response to changing energy prices. We find that an increase in the price of energy causes the demand for energy inputs to fall, while the demand for capital, material and labour inputs rises. This indicates that the other factors of production are substitutable with energy in the Irish manufacturing sector.