As of 2010, the energy service market in Europe is still far from utilising its full potential. Wide-scale peer-reviewed studies investigating the development and up-to-date status of the European ESCo market are scarce. This article presents a comprehensive insight of the European ESCo industry based on the results from a large-scale survey carried out 2009-2010 in 39 European countries. The observed market development during the period 2007-2010, trends in business practices, and factors influencing the ESCo industry evolution are described. Finally, having considered the remaining barriers and the supporting factors as well as the successful experiences in Europe, policy measures that could further promote ESCo activities are proposed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.