Frequently Asked Questions
How is electricity used in U.S. homes?
Estimated U.S. Residential Electricity Consumption by End-Use, 2010
| End-Use | Quadrillion Btu | Billion Kilowatthours | Share of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space Cooling | 1.08 | 316 | 22.0% |
| Lighting | 0.69 | 202 | 14.0% |
| Water Heating | 0.45 | 131 | 9.0% |
| Refrigeration | 0.37 | 109 | 8.0% |
| Color Televisions and Set-Top Boxes | 0.33 | 96 | 7.0% |
| Space Heating | 0.30 | 87 | 6.0% |
| Clothes Dryers | 0.19 | 57 | 4.0% |
| Personal Computers and Related Equipment | 0.17 | 50 | 3.0% |
| Furnace Fans and Boiler Circulation Pumps | 0.13 | 40 | 3.0% |
| Cooking | 0.11 | 31 | 2.0% |
| Dishwashers 1 | 0.10 | 29 | 2.0% |
| Freezers | 0.08 | 24 | 2.0% |
| Clothes Washers 1 | 0.03 | 10 | 1.0% |
| Other Uses2 | 0.92 | 270 | 19.0% |
| Total Consumption | 4.95 | 1,451 |
1Does not include water heating.
2Includes small electric devices, heating elements, and motors not listed above.
Residential electricity consumption estimates and forecasts by type of end-use, Table 4.
Detailed statistics for residential electricity consumption by type of appliance, in 2001.
Last updated: November 23, 2012
Other FAQs about Electricity
- Can I choose the electricity supplier where I live?
- Can I generate and sell electricity to an electric utility?
- Does EIA have city or county-level energy consumption and price data?
- Does EIA have county-level energy production data?
- Does EIA have data on peak and hourly electricity demand?
- Does EIA have electricity prices by state?
- Does EIA have information on the service territories of U.S. electric utilities?
- Does EIA have maps or information on the location of electric power plants and transmission lines in the United States?
- Does EIA publish electric utility rate, tariff, and demand charge data?
- How is electricity used in U.S. homes?
- How many and what kind of power plants are there in the United States?
- How many nuclear power plants are in the U.S. and where are they located?
- How many smart meters are installed in the U.S. and who has them?
- How much coal, natural gas, or petroleum is used to generate a kilowatt-hour of electricity?
- How much does it cost to build different types of power plants in the United States?
- How much does it cost to generate electricity with different types of power plants?
- How much electricity does a typical nuclear power plant generate?
- How much electricity does an American home use?
- How much electricity is lost in transmission and distribution in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for cooling in the United States?
- How much electricity is used for lighting in the United States?
- How much energy is consumed in the world by each sector?
- How much of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are associated with electricity generation?
- How much of world energy consumption and electricity generation is from renewable energy?
- How old are U.S. power plants?
- What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?
- What is a capacity factor?
- What is the difference between electricity generation capacity and electricity generation?
- What is the efficiency of different types of power plants?
- What is the outlook for home heating fuel prices this winter?
- What types and amounts of energy are produced in each state?
- Where can I find information on individual power plants in the U.S.?