Exploring drivers for energy efficiency within small- and medium-sized enterprises: First evidences from Italian manufacturing enterprises

► Allowances, public financing and external pressures as major external drivers. ► Ambitious decision-makers with great entrepreneurial mind as major internal drivers. ► Effect of firm's size (even within SMEs) on drivers to industrial energy efficiency. ► Preliminary evidences of the effect of firm's internal and external complexity. ► Preliminary evidences of the effect of firm's innovation characteristics.