Yup, it’s working. Energy efficiency is driving down home energy use. So says data released this week by the US Energy Information Administration.
The January 2014 Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA’s first detailed reveal of what it sees coming for 2015, shows residential electricity consumption declining 1.1 percent this year and another 0.4 percent next year.
Adam Sieminski, EIA administrator, credited efficiency improvements to appliances and lighting as a factor slowing growth in electricity use.
But don’t get complacent. As the economy picks up, businesses will start using more electricity.
“While residential electricity consumption may decline because of more energy-efficient appliances and lighting, the improving economy will cause a boost in electricity use by the U.S. industrial sector, which is forecast to consume 2.2 percent more electricity this year and 2.5 percent more in 2015,” Sieminski said.
Residential electricity sales averaged 3,898 million kWh/day in 2011, a figure that falls to 3,798 million kWh/day in 2015. Meanwhile, the forecast shows industrial electricity sales rising from an average 2,716 million kWh/day to 2,754 million kWh/day over the same time period.
The graphic below shows the variation in electricity use by sector.
