Dive Summary:
- For the first time in decades, space conditioning (heating and cooling) makes up less than half of all home energy use in the U.S., according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
- According to the EIA's Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 48% of residential energy consumption was used for space conditioning in 2009, a notable drop from 58% in 1993.
- Improvements in energy efficiency led to the decline in usage for heating and cooling while use for appliances and electronics rose from 24% in 1993 to 34.6% in 2009.
From the article:
"... Other notable trends in household energy consumption include:
- The average U.S. household consumed 11,320 kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity in 2009, of which the largest portion (7,526 kWh) was for appliances, electronics, lighting, and miscellaneous uses.
- On average, residents living in homes constructed in the 1980s consumed 77 million Btu of total energy at home. By comparison, those living in newer homes, built from 2000 to 2009, consumed 92 million Btu per household, which is 19% more.
- Space heating accounted for 63% of natural gas consumed in U.S. homes in 2009; the remaining 37% was for water heating, cooking, and miscellaneous uses. ..."