EIA Shares How Electricity Is Used In Commercial Buildings

Do you know where the electricity flowing through your building is going? A breakdown from the U.S. Energy Information Administration can tell us where all the money spent on the electric bill is going.

While lighting continues to be the largest single user of electricity, that number has dropped from previous years. It was reported in 2010 that lighting accounted for 39% of average electricity consumption in office buildings. In 2012, the prevalence of lighting, even among buildings that make abundant use of natural light, combined with lighting’s dependence on electricity, accounts for 17% of the total kilowatt hours used in commercial buildings.

Complex mechanical equipment used for refrigeration, ventilation, and cooling follow lighting closely in total kilowatt hours consumed. Space heating, often using natural gas instead of electricity, only accounts for 2% of total kilowatt hours.

Understand how your building uses electricity is critical. As is understanding how that usage is changing. With new energy efficiency improvements sweeping through practically every industry, kilowatt hour distribution will change. The first step to saving electricity is knowing where it’s being spent. With that knowledge in hand, improvements to energy efficiency can start and the savings can commence. What are you waiting for?

Read the full article: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/commercial-buildings.php