Annual Energy Outlook 2011
Release Date: April 26, 2011 | Next Early Release Date: January 23, 2012 | Report Number: DOE/EIA-0383(2011)
Residential
Market Trends
In the AEO2011 Reference case, residential energy use per capita declines by 17.0 percent from 2009 to 2035 (Figure 58). Delivered energy use stays relatively constant while population grows by 26.7 percent during the period. Growth in the number of homes and in average square footage leads to increased demand for energy services, which is offset in part by efficiency gains in space heating, water heating, and lighting equipment. Population shifts to warmer and drier climates also reduce energy demand for space heating.
Issues in Focus
In 2009, the residential and commercial buildings sectors used 19.6 quadrillion Btu of delivered energy, or 21 percent of total U.S. energy consumption. The residential sector accounted for 57 percent of that energy use and the commercial sector 43 percent. In the AEO2011 Reference case, delivered energy for buildings increases by 16 percent, to 22.8 quadrillion Btu in 2035, which is moderate relative to the rate of increase in the number of buildings and their occupants. Accordingly, energy use in the buildings sector on a per-capita basis declines in the projection. The decline of buildings energy use per capita in past years is attributable in part to improvements in the efficiencies of appliances and building shells, and efficiency improvements continue to play a key role in projections of buildings energy consumption.
