Regional Energy Profile |
PACIFIC APPLIANCE REPORT  2001 |
Return to Regional Energy Profiles Return to Appliance Reports Subscribe to Our Listserv for Notice of New Products CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT Air-Conditioning Electric Appliances Gas Appliances U.S. Data Table Pacific Data Table LINKS TO RELATED DATA PRODUCTS Pacific Residential Energy Map Pacific Renewable Potential Map Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 Regional Energy Data Sources U.S. Census Regions and Divisions Map |
The Pacific Division comprises five States: Alaska, Hawaii, and three contiguous States on the western seaboard of the United States -- California, Oregon, and Washington. Climates vary widely from State to State in the Pacific Division, meaning that normal winter and summer temperatures also vary widely. On average, the Pacific Division experiences warmer winters than does the United States as a whole, and somewhat cooler summers. Precipitation averages 27 inches per year, close to the national average of 30 inches per year. Households in the Pacific States consumed 1.05 quadrillion Btu of energy in 1997 (the most recent year for which data are available). That consumption accounted for about 10 percent of the nationwide total of 10.2 quadrillion Btu. About 37 percent of Pacific household energy was used to operate appliances (including refrigerators) and to run electric air-conditioning. That share is higher than the share for the United States as a whole (31 percent). Among the 17 million households in the Pacific Division in 2001, gas appliances were more common than among U.S. households, and air-conditioning and most electric appliances were less common. AIR-CONDITIONING Air-conditioning is less common in the Pacific Division than in any other U.S. Census Division. Air-conditioning of any kind is found in fewer than two out of four households, whereas nationwide it is found in three out of four. In all U.S. households, the prevalence of air-conditioning increased significantly from 57 percent of households in 1980 to 77 percent of households in 2001 (U.S. Data Table). Over the same period, the prevalence of air-conditioning in Pacific households increased from 34 percent in 1980 to 44 percent in 2001 (Pacific Data Table). |