Frequently Asked Questions
How is electricity used in U.S. homes?
Estimated U.S. residential sector electricity consumption by end use, 2014 | |||
End use | Quadrillion Btu | Billion kilowatthours | Share of total |
Space cooling | 0.65 | 190 | 13% |
Lighting | 0.51 | 149 | 11% |
Water heating | 0.45 | 132 | 9% |
Space heating | 0.43 | 125 | 9% |
Refrigeration | 0.36 | 106 | 8% |
Televisions and related equipment1 | 0.30 | 88 | 6% |
Clothes dryers | 0.20 | 60 | 4% |
Furnace fans and boiler circulation pumps | 0.14 | 42 | 3% |
Computers and related equipment2 | 0.11 | 34 | 2% |
Cooking | 0.11 | 31 | 2% |
Dishwashers3 | 0.09 | 28 | 2% |
Freezers | 0.08 | 22 | 2% |
Clothes washers3 | 0.03 | 8 | 1% |
Other uses4 | 1.34 | 393 | 28% |
Total consumption | 4.80 | 1,407 |
1 Includes televisions, set-top boxes, home theater systems, DVD players, and video game consoles.
2 Includes desktop and laptop computers, monitors, and networking equipment.
3 Does not include water heating.
4 Includes small electric devices, heating elements, exterior lights, outdoor grills, pool and spa heaters, backup electricity generators, and motors not listed above. Does not include electric vehicle charging.
Learn more:
Annual Energy Outlook 2016, Table 4: Residential sector key indicators and consumption
Total U.S. electricity sales projected to grow slowly as electricity intensity declines
Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
Last updated: June 16, 2016
Other FAQs about Electricity
- Can electric utility customers choose their electricity supplier?
- Does EIA have county-level energy production data?
- Does EIA have data on each power plant in the United States?
- Does EIA have data on the costs for electricity transmission and distribution?
- Does EIA have energy consumption and price data for cities, counties, or by zip code?
- Does EIA have maps or information on the location of electric power plants and transmission lines in the United States?
- Does EIA have projections for energy production, consumption, and prices for individual states?
- Does EIA publish data on peak or hourly electricity generation, demand, and prices?
- Does EIA publish electric utility rate, tariff, and demand charge data?
- Does EIA publish electricity consumption and price data by state?
- How is electricity used in U.S. homes?
- How many nuclear power plants are in the United States, and where are they located?
- How many power plants are there in the United States?
- How many smart meters are installed in the United States, and who has them?
- How much coal, natural gas, or petroleum is used to generate a kilowatthour 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 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 lighting in the United States?
- How much energy is consumed in the world by each energy end-use sector?
- How much of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are associated with electricity generation?
- How much of world energy consumption and production is from renewable energy?
- What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?
- 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?