A four‐grid electrostatic energy analyzer for measurements of the ion velocity distribution and the emission of secondary electrons on the electrodes of low‐pressure radio frequency glow‐discharge systems has been conceived. Problems arising from poor analyzer design are discussed and the performance of the presented analyzer is shown for measurements of the ion velocity distribution in pure hydrogen, helium, and argon discharges. Moreover, the secondary electron yields on aluminium, stainless steel, copper, and amorphous silicon exposed to radio frequency argon, helium, and hydrogen plasmas are determinedinsitu, for the first time to our knowledge. In parallel‐plate radio frequency discharges secondary electron emission involves the contributions of ions, fast neutrals, metastables, and photons impinging on the electrode surfaces. Therefore, secondary electron emission must be considered as a global phenomenon. Global secondary electron emission can be up to ten times larger than only ion‐induced secondary electron emission. Typically, the global emission coefficient is of the order of 0.1 (secondary electrons per ion) but can exceed 1 when the contribution of metastables is important. This is a noteworthy result since secondary electron emission is often neglected or underestimated in modeling of electrical discharges.