Regional Energy Profile |
MIDDLE ATLANTIC 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 Middle Atlantic Data Table LINKS TO RELATED DATA PRODUCTS Middle Atlantic Household Electricity Report Middle Atlantic Data Abstract Middle Atlantic Residential Energy Map Middle Atlantic Renewable Potential Map Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 Regional Energy Data Sources U.S. Census Regions and Divisions Map |
The three States of the Middle Atlantic Census Division--New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania--occupy an area between the middle Atlantic seaboard and Lakes Ontario and Erie in the northeastern United States. The 15 million households in the Middle Atlantic Division account for about 14 percent of all U.S. households. Middle Atlantic winters are among the coldest nationwide, meaning that household space-heating requirements are higher. On the other hand, summers in the Middle Atlantic States are milder than in most other parts of the country, and air-conditioning requirements tend to be lower. In 1997 (the most recent year for which data are available), Middle Atlantic households consumed 1.7 quadrillion Btu of energy, about 17 percent of nationwide households energy consumption in 1997 of 10.2 quadrillion Btu. Of household energy consumption in the Middle Atlantic, approximately 21 percent was used to operate air-conditioners and appliances (including refrigerators). Nationwide, 31 percent was used. The lower share of energy consumption devoted to air-conditioning and appliances in the Middle Atlantic, when compared with the United States as a whole, is attributable to the colder climate in the Middle Atlantic, where relatively more household energy resources are devoted to space and water heating. AIR-CONDITIONING Air-conditioning is an energy-intensive activity, and the use of air-conditioning rose sharply from 1980 through 2001. Nationwide, the share of households with air-conditioning rose from 57 percent to 77 percent (U.S. Data Table), and in the Middle Atlantic Division, the share rose from 52 percent to 76 percent (Middle Atlantic Data Table). In 1980, individual room air-conditioners were more common than central air-conditioning in the United States as a whole. Thirty percent of households had room units, compared with 27 percent with central air-conditioning. In the Middle Atlantic, the difference was much greater: 40 percent of households had room units, compared with only 12 percent with central air-conditioning. By 2001, central air-conditioning had become more common than individual units in most regions of the country, but not in the Middle Atlantic. Nationwide, more than twice as many households (55 percent) had central air-conditioning as had individual units only (23 percent). In the Middle Atlantic, however, the share of households with central air-conditioning was 33 percent, while the share of households with individual units was 43 percent. |