U.S. Energy Use Increases
By Venessa Wong
Despite marked improvements in the energy efficiency of cars, appliances, lighting, and other devices in recent decades, Americans are expected to continue using more power. Energy consumption is forecast to rise in the residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation sectors as the U.S. population grows to more than 390 million people in 2035 and economic activity increases, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Here’s how the EIA, which serves as the U.S. Energy Dept.'s statistical and analytical agency, expects U.S. consumption to change from 2009 to 2035: Total usage will rise by an average rate of 0.7 percent per year, with the fastest increases coming to the commercial sector (1.1 percent) and the industrial sector (0.9 percent). Energy use in the transportation sector is expected to rise by 0.6 percent annually and residential energy consumption by only 0.3 percent. These numbers seem small, but they mean that annual U.S. consumption in 2035 will have exceeded 2009 levels by 14.05 quadrillion Btu, equal to all the energy consumed by Canada in 2008, EIA data reveal. Photographer: Bloomberg
Click to see how each region is expected to boost consumption, starting with the largest anticipated increase.
