Energy Demands
Residential
Overview
A residential area is a land use in which housing – apartments or dwellings - predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Facts
In the United States, the average single-family home consumes 46% more energy than the average apartment. In 2007, per capita residential energy use in the U.S. was twenty-five times higher than that in India, twelve times higher than that in Brazil, and nine times higher than that in China, largely because of the use of more energy-demanding appliances and more extensive heating and cooling systems.
EIU calculation based on data from “International Energy Outlook 2010.” Energy Information Administration
The average U.S. household is responsible for about 7.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions from electricity per year. Including heat and waste, approximately 4 million metric tons of CO2 per person are emitted from U.S. households. Daily appliances are responsible for most energy consumption, yet there are a number of ways to reduce consumption while also improving a home’s carbon footprint. Residential energy use accounts for approximately 17% of U.S carbon dioxide emissions.
EIU calculation based on data from the Energy Information Administration
In the United States, 21% of the homes built in 2009 were certified as energy efficient by the Environmental Protection Agency, up from 17% in 2008 and just 12% in 2007
Source: EPA, EnergyStar
Electric lighting uses 20% of the world’s electricity and production of that electricity yields nearly half as much pollution as all of the automobiles on the road. The latest LED light bulbs use 75% less energy than do traditional incandescent bulbs.
In the United States, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 established a 30% federal tax credit (up to $2,000) for the purchase and installation of residential solar water heating. Initially scheduled to expire at the end of 2007, the tax credit was extended in 2008 until December 31, 2016.
Source: "International Energy Outlook 2010," Energy Information Administration;
Source: Environmental Protection Agency; available: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_pie
Total residential energy use in developing countries is increasing rapidly; residential energy consumption in India and China will nearly double by 2030. This enormous increase in energy demand would be even higher were it not partly offset by decreases in energy intensity within homes. Today, a typical family in the United States can spend over $1000 annually on heating and cooling their homes. In the future, this will be reduced by up to 50% through investment and improved building techniques. These efficiencies will gradually make their way into building techniques in developing countries as well.
Source: "International Energy Outlook 2010," Energy Information Administration;
Source: Environmental Protection Agency; available: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_pie
China is in the midst of one of the largest residential construction booms in history, with thousands of new housing estates being connected to local gas distribution grids every month, increasing demand massively and accounting for almost one-third of the global increase in gas use in buildings between 2008 and 2035.
Source: “World Energy Outlook 2010.” International Energy Agency