How The Average American Uses Energy

Energy Consumption Stats:

Total world energy in 2004 came from the following sources:

• geothermal, solar, wind, and wood energy make up 1%
• nuclear 6%
• hydroelectric 6%
• coal 26%
• gas 23%
• oil 38%
• solar photovoltaic .04%
• biofuels .2%
• geothermal .2%
• wind .3%
• solar heat .5%

U.S. Energy Consumption

The U.S. uses 100 quadrillion BTUs (105 exajoules) per year, 3x its consumption in 1950.
Energy consumption has increased at a faster rate than energy production, so the difference is met through imports.

• 37.14% of the US energy comes from petroleum
• 22.42% from coal
• 23.84% from natural gas
• 8.46% nuclear
• 7.30% renewable (mainly hydroelectric dams)

Electricity

Average energy consumption per year per US person: 335.9 million BTUs
World per person average: 72.4 million BTUs

• 48.2% of US electricity comes from coal
• 19.6% comes from nuclear
• 3.7% comes from solar, wind, and geothermal
• 21.4% comes from natural gas
• 1.1% comes from oil
• 6% comes from hydroelectric

At Home

• 41% of energy is used for space heating
• 20% for water heating
• 26% for lighting and appliances
• 8% for air conditioning
• 5% for refridgeration

Emissions from Electric Utilities

• Sulfur dioxide SO2 – 7,830 thousand metric tons
• Nitrogen Oxides NOx – 3,330 thousand metric tons
• Carbo Dioxide CO2 – 2,477,213 thousand metric tons

Single Family Dwellings

For Heating:

• 56% use natural gas
• 26% use electricity
• 7% use fuel oil
• 6% use liquefied petroleum gases
• 1% use kerosene

For Appliances

• 95% have a clothes washer
• 92% have a clothes dryer
• 74% have a personal computer
• 84% have AC

Gasoline Stats

• A little over a gallon of gasoline per day per person is used in America
• Average American drives a little over 12,000 miles per year
• Average MPG in America is 19.8

Sources: www.bts.gov www.eia.doe.gov

Visual Economics: www.visualeconomics.com

Energy Use Of A Lightbulb

How much fuel is used to light a 100 watt bulb for a whole year – 24 hours a day (that’s a total of 8760 hours) so .1KW x 8760= 876Kwh.

For closeups see below…

Source: www.awesome.good.is
A collaboration between GOOD and Column Five.