How Is Electricity Used in U.S. Homes?

 

In the previous diagram, we saw the sources and uses of energy.  Of the 97.3 quadrillion btus consumed in the U.S., 39.3 quadrillion btus (or 40%) is consumed in the electricity sector.  Thanks to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), they provide so much data that one can study any aspect of energy conceivable.  The below table slices and dices the data even more.  Of that 39.3 quadrillion btus of electricity consumed by commercial and residential, 4.8 quadrillion btus are consumed by the residential sector.

 

The largest user of residential electricity is space cooling at 13%.  Space cooling would be air conditioning use during the summer months.  Lighting, yes lighting, comes in second with 11% of electricity used.  Water heating is at 9%. Refrigeration is at 7%.  Television and related equipment is also at 7%.  This is followed by the normal culprits of clothes drying (4%), dishwashers (2%), freezers (2%), and clothes washers at 1%.  The other uses category takes in everything else that remains as phantom energy users.

 

The following pages will address lighting at 11%, television and related equipment at 7%, computers and related equipment at 2% and other uses at 27%.  With the exception of lighting, which will be covered in the next section, the others are considered phantom energy users.  Because they are in a constant state of readiness in standby mode, they drip consume electricity.  All of these devices left in standby mode consume meaningful electricity.