Electricity is a crucial aspect of modern living and the economy of the United States. Electricity is used to power appliances, computers, electronics, machinery, and public transportation systems, as well as for lighting, heating, cooling, and refrigeration. In 2021, total electricity usage in the United States was over 3.93 trillion kWh, which was 13 times higher than in 1950.
Retail sales of energy to customers and direct use electricity are included in total electricity end-use consumption.
1 Electricity produced for direct use is used by the same industrial or commercial enterprise that produces it. The majority of direct-use electricity comes from the industrial sector. Electricity retail sales in 2021 were estimated to be around 3.79 trillion kWh, accounting for 97 percent of total consumption. The industrial and commercial sectors used roughly 0.14 trillion kWh of electricity directly, accounting for about 3% of overall electricity consumption.
Between 1950 and 2021, total annual US electrical end-use consumption climbed in all but 11 years, with 8 of the years with year-over-year decreases occurring after 2007. The greatest annual total U.S. electricity end-use was around 4 trillion kWh in 2018, when a reasonably mild summer and chilly winter in most parts of the country contributed to high home retail electricity sales.
Because the economy recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, total U.S. electrical end-use consumption in 2021 was around 2% higher than in 2020. Residential retail electricity sales climbed by roughly 1%, while business retail power sales increased by nearly 3%. Electricity retail sales to the industrial sector in 2021 were up 3% from 2020, but down 7% from 2000, the peak year for retail sales to the industrial sector in the United States. In 2000, the industrial sector accounted for 31% of total retail electricity sales in the United States; by 2021, it will account for 26%.
- In 2021, the following were the retail sales of electricity to main consuming sectors, as well as their percentage share of overall energy retail sales:
In 2020, how much power did the United States consume?
Total US power demand is expected to fall to 3,675 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) in 2020 from 3,896 billion kWh in 2019, before rising to 3,711 billion kWh in 2021, according to the EIA. According to federal data dating back to 1949, the all-time record was 4,003 billion kWh in 2018.
How much power does the United States wield?
This section’s electricity consumption is based on data from the United States Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration/Electric Power Annual 2018 files. The total amount of energy consumed in the United States in 2018 was 4,222.5 terawatt-hours (TWh), or 15201 PJ. Consumption increased by 131.9 TWh (475 PJ) or 3.2 percent from 2017.
Demand
- Despite having fewer than 5% of the world’s population, the United States consumes about 16% of global energy and accounts for 15% of global GDP. In comparison, the European Union has 6% of the global population, uses 4.2 percent of its energy, and accounts for 15% of its GDP, whereas China has 18% of the global population, consumes 20% of its energy, and accounts for 16% of its GDP. 6,7
- Each day, the United States consumes 2.3 gallons of oil, 7.89 pounds of coal, and 252 cubic feet of natural gas per person.
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- Electricity use in the home is 12.1 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per person per day.
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Why is the United States’ energy consumption so high?
This week, the US Energy Information Administration released some alarming new data: In 2018, the United States’ energy consumption reached a new high, thanks in large part to the increased usage of fossil fuels.
In 2018, fossil fuels provided 80% of overall energy consumption. Natural gas and petroleum use increased by 4%, while coal consumption decreased by 4% from the previous year. Renewable energy production also hit a new high last year, up 3% from the previous year.
The rising US economy is largely to blame for the increase in energy use. Additional commodities, travel, and services necessitate the use of more fuel and electricity. However, this means that we are moving further away from our already modest climate change goals.
The latest figures from the EIA show exactly where we are and how far we still have to go if we are to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels this century.
It also comes after a research released earlier this year by the Rhodium Group, which indicated that US greenhouse gas emissions increased by 3.4 percent in 2018 over the previous year, reversing a three-year reduction in the production of heat-trapping gases that contribute to climate change.
1) As energy efficiency increases, energy consumption is unlikely to increase significantly.
While US energy consumption hit a new high in 2018, it was only 0.3 percent more than the previous high established in 2007.
You may recall that there was a huge economic downturn between the last peak and the present one, known as the Great Recession. As a result, the increase in energy use is a regression to the mean.
Higher demand in 2018 was mostly due to an early-year spike in natural gas usage as homeowners turned up the heat during the coldest months of the year. While energy production in the United States is expected to increase, overall energy demand is expected to remain stable in the future decades as energy efficiency improves, according to the EIA.
2) It is not impossible, but it is difficult to decouple emissions from the economy.
The United States has made significant progress in reducing emissions from energy generation, mostly by substituting natural gas for coal. Natural gas emits half as much carbon dioxide as coal for the same amount of electricity, therefore the move has reduced emissions in the electricity sector even while the US economy has risen.
However, as the 2018 figures demonstrate, development is hampered by factors such as the weather. While natural gas is cleaner than coal, it still has a carbon footprint, so the more we use it, the more we release.
3) Renewable energy is on the rise, but it still requires assistance.
As hardware and installation prices continue to fall, wind and solar are now the most common new forms of power generation in the United States. Renewables, on the other hand, account for a small portion of the overall energy mix.
Technology advancements and market forces will not be enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if the goal is to decarbonize the economy. Instead, additional states and localities, as well as the federal government, should require a complete transition to renewable energy. One of the greatest ways to do so is to look at Washington state’s new 100 percent clean electricity bill.
4) Power generating isn’t the only source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Transportation emissions have increased as electrical sector emissions have decreased. In the United States, transportation is presently the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions. Despite the fact that vehicles and trucks are getting more fuel efficient and increasingly run on electricity, other means of transportation, such as air travel, continue to rely on fossil fuels. The rise in US energy use and emissions in 2018 was largely due to increased demand for flights.
5) America’s coal industry is failing.
In 2018, coal was the only fossil fuel that showed a decrease. While coal employment has increased marginally since President Trump took office, coal combustion has continued to decline. Despite the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back environmental standards on coal plants, the US deactivated 16 gigawatts of coal-fired power capacity in 2018, and coal usage fell to its lowest level in 39 years. This year will see more coal plant closures.
6) The longer we wait to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, the more damage we will cause to the environment.
Scientists are warning that the world is running out of time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions aggressively enough to avoid catastrophic levels of warming. The longer we wait to act, the more extreme the adjustments will have to be. So, while proposals like the Green New Deal are being scrutinized for their inclusion of social justice components, the mechanics of actually reducing greenhouse gas emissions remain the greater and more challenging task.
Which nation consumes the most energy?
China is the world’s greatest primary energy consumer, consuming 145.46 exajoules in 2020. This is significantly more than the second-largest consumer, the United States. The majority of primary energy fuels, such as oil and coal, are still sourced from fossil fuels.
What in the world consumes the most electricity?
China consumes significantly more electricity than any other country on the planet, consuming almost seven terawatt-hours each year. With 3,800 terawatt hours consumed in 2020, the United States is the world’s second-largest power consumer. India came in second, albeit by a large margin.
In a month, how much electricity does the United States consume?
The average annual power consumption for a household utility user in the United States in 2020 was 10,715 kilowatthours (kWh), or roughly 893 kWh per month. Louisiana had the greatest annual electricity use per residential customer at 14,407 kWh, while Hawaii had the lowest at 6,446 kWh.
RECS stands for Residential Energy Consumption Survey (detailed data on U.S. residential energy consumption for selected years)
Other FAQs about Electricity
- A kilowatthour of electricity is generated using how much coal, natural gas, or petroleum?
- How much does it cost to produce electricity using various power plants?
- How much of the energy consumed and generated in the United States comes from renewable sources?
- How much of the carbon dioxide produced in the United States is due to power generation?
- Is the EIA able to provide data on energy use and prices for cities, counties, or zip codes?
- What is the number and location of nuclear power plants in the United States?
- Does the EIA provide state-by-state estimates or projections for energy output, consumption, and prices?
- In the United States, how much does it cost to create various types of power plants?
- Is data on peak or hourly electricity generation, demand, and prices available from the EIA?
- In the United States, how much electricity is lost in transmission and distribution?
- Is the location of electric power plants, transmission lines, and substations published by the EIA?
- What’s the difference between electricity generation capacity and actual generation of power?
- Is the EIA aware of any unplanned disruptions or shutdowns of energy infrastructure in the United States?
In a year, how much power does the entire world consume?
Global energy usage is projected to be at 580 million terajoules per year. That’s around 13865 million tons of oil equivalents, or 580 million trillion joules. (mtoe).
How many megawatts does the United States produce?
Operators of the electric power system, or grid, ask electric power plants to produce and place the proper quantity of electricity on the grid at any given time to meet and balance electricity demand.
Power plants, on average, do not generate electricity at full capacity at all times of the day. The intended use of three major types of generating units varies:
- Base load producing units often supply all or part of the electric power grid’s minimum, or base, demand (load). During the most of the day, a base load generating unit runs continuously, providing energy at a nearly constant rate. Because of their low fuel costs and technological limits on load responsive operation, nuclear power reactors are typically used as a base load generator. Because of their low fuel costs, geothermal and biomass units are frequently used in base load. Many big hydropower plants, many coal plants, and an increasing number of natural gas-fired generators, especially those used in combined power applications, provide base load power.
- Peak load generating units assist in meeting energy demand when it is at its maximum, or peak, such as late in the afternoon or when power use for air conditioning and heating increases during hot and cold weather. The generators that make up these so-called peaking units are usually natural gas or petroleum-fueled. These generators are inefficient and expensive to operate in general, but they provide a high-value service at peak demand periods. Pumped storage hydropower and conventional hydropower units can sometimes help with grid operations by providing power during peak demand periods.
- The largest generating sector is intermediate load generating units, which provide load responsive operating between base load and peaking service.
- The demand profile fluctuates over time, and intermediate sources are generally well-suited to following changes in load, both technically and economically. In intermediate operation, a variety of energy sources and technologies are employed. Natural gas-fired combined cycle power plants, which today generate more electricity than any other technology, are typically used as intermediate sources.
- Wind and solar-powered intermittent renewable resource generators that create electricity only when these resources are accessible (i.e., when it’s windy or sunny). When these generators are running, they reduce the quantity of electricity that other generators are necessary to supply the electric power grid.
- Hydroelectric pumped storage, solar-thermal storage, batteries, flywheels, and compressed air systems are all examples of energy storage systems/facilities for power generation. Energy storage systems for electricity generation charge an energy storage system or device with electricity (or another energy source, such as solar thermal energy), which is then discharged to supply (produce) electricity when needed at desired amounts and quality. When the availability of intermittent renewable energy sources (wind and solar) is strong, certain energy storage facilities use the storage system to provide electricity, and when the renewable energy resource is low or unavailable, they use the storage system to provide electricity. Ancillary services can be provided by energy storage devices to the electric power grid. Energy storage solutions consume more electricity than they produce by definition. Pumped-storage hydro systems require more electricity to push water to storage reservoirs than the stored water produces. (However, because natural precipitation augments their water storage capacity beyond what the facility pumps to storage, some may generate more electricity than they consume.) Energy conversion and storage losses occur in nonhydro storage systems. As a result, the net generating balances of (most) energy storage facilities for electricity generation are negative. Gross generation, which is included in the data releases of the EIA-923 Power Plant Operations Report, is a better indicator of the activity level of energy storage installations.
- Distributed generators are linked to the power grid, however they primarily serve to meet the electricity needs of particular buildings or facilities. These systems may occasionally create more electricity than the facility requires, in which case the excess is delivered to the grid. Distributed generators make up the majority of small-scale solar photovoltaic systems.
On a monthly or annual basis, some power plants may need more electricity to operate than they generate, resulting in a negative net generation. Peak load generating units, for example, may be idle for extended periods of time. They do, however, require power from the power plant in which they are a component, as well as from the electric power grid, in order to be ready to produce power when needed. Their electric generation may be less than the electricity they consumed while waiting to be dispatched over the course of a month or year. Generators may be taken off-line for extended periods of time during power plant maintenance or repair, resulting in negative net generation for the facility. Energy storage facilities for electricity generating often consume more electricity than they generate, resulting in a net loss of electricity.
At the end of 2021, the United States had total utility-scale electricity producing capacity of 1,143,757 MW (about 1.14 billion kW) and small-scale solar photovoltaic electricity generating capacity of 32,972 MW (roughly 0.03 billion kW).
Natural gas-fired generating units make for the majority of utility-scale power producing capacity in the United States.
- The following are the percentage shares of total utility-scale electricity generating capacity in the United States by principal energy source in 2021: