Facts on the U.S. Energy Industry
1. The energy market in the United States is the third largest industry in the country.
2. Energy use in America is doubling every 20 years.
3. In 2014, the United States provided approximately 89% of the country’s energy needs. The remaining 11% came primarily from petroleum imports.
4. The solar energy market alone has created over 175,000 jobs in the United States.
5. The United Sates invested $51.8 billion in clean energy in 2014 alone. This is the second most in the entire world. The country has invested more than $386 billion since 2007.
6. Energy Productivity in the United States economy has increased by 11% from 2007 to 2014.
7. It is estimated by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics that there are more than 3.4 million jobs in the United States related to clean energy initiatives.
8. In 2014, natural gas production was higher than it has ever been in history.
U.S. Energy Source Facts
9. The United States has more nuclear reactors, more nuclear power capacity and generates more nuclear power than any other country in the world.
10. Approximately 20% of the United States’ electricity comes from these nuclear reactors, making the civil nuclear marketplace a more than $740 billion industry.
11. The United States produces more geothermal energy than any other country and more biomass power than any other country.
12. The United States uses petroleum as its number one energy source. It provides more energy than natural gas, coal or solar power.
13. Natural gas is used to heat more than 76 percent of US homes and commercial properties.
14. Coal is the largest global source of electricity, but only about 1/3 of the energy from the average coal power plant makes it to customers in the form of electricity.
U.S. Energy Use Statistics
15. Hospitals in the United States rank as some of the highest energy consumers in the entire world.
16. It is estimated that in 2014, the United States used approximately 412 billion kWh of electricity just for lighting.
17. The United States uses approximately 23% of the world?s energy, yet it only holds about 5% of the world?s population.
18. K-12 schools in the United States spend more than $6 billion on energy use, or more than they spend on textbooks and computers combined.
19. It is estimated that the United States spend more than $300 billion a year on energy that goes to drafty doors and windows, inefficient appliances and other energy wasters that could be easily remedied. This is more than the United States spends on its military every year.
20. The United States is the second biggest consumer of energy in the world, after China.
21. Google alone uses enough energy to continuously power 200,000 homes. The amount of energy it requires to conduct 100 searches on the site is the equivalent of a standard light bulb burning for 28 minutes.
22. The average American uses approximately 313 million Btu of energy, while the worldwide average per person is around 75 million Btu.
23. Approximately 40% of the United States? energy sources is used to generate more electricity.
Stats on Energy Use at Home
24. Only about 10% of the energy used in a single lightbulb is used to create light, the rest is used to create heat. Fluorescent light bulbs, use about 80% less energy in total than standard bulbs.
25. Cooling and heating costs make up approximately 50% of the average heating bill in most U.S. homes.
26. Lighting costs make up approximately 20% of all of the electricity used in the United States today.
27. Approximately 75% of the electricity used in most American homes is used while the product is turned off. Idle power is a major energy consumer, with the average desktop computer using 80 watts of electricity while turned off.
28. During its lifetime, a single ceiling light fixture can use as much as $5,000 of electricity.
29. American refrigerators consume approximately the same amount of energy as 25 large power plants produce in a single year.
30. The average washing machine user runs their device at 140 degrees (F), but reducing the machine?s temperature to 104 degrees can cut energy use in half.
31. Simply using the ?sleep? feature on an electronic device when it?s not in use can save $70 a year in energy costs.
The U.S. and Renewable Energy
32. Hydropower is the most used renewable energy resource in the United States. It produces approximately 7% of the country?s electricity.
33. A new solar energy device is installed in an American home every 3.2 minutes.
34. Approximately 10% of the United States’ total energy consumption comes from renewable sources of energy, while approximately 13% of all electricity generation comes from renewable sources.
35. While efforts are in place to use more renewable energy sources, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that the country will still be using non-renewable energy sources for most of its energy needs through the year 2040.
36. California has more solar power than any other state in the country with 3549 MW of solar PV capacity, the next closest state in North Carolina which only has 397 MW.
37. The United States has invested more than $17 billion in natural gas improvements.
38. A single wind turbine can create enough energy to power as many as 300 American homes.
39. Every minute, enough sunlight hits the earth’s surface to supply the entire world?s energy demands for a year.
40. While they still don?t make up a significant amount of America?s energy resources, solar and wind production rates have more than tripled since 2008.
41. Every state in the United States uses hydropower for some electricity. Washington uses it to create more than 70 percent of the state?s electric supply.
Energy Efficiency in the United States
42. In the year 2013 alone, Americans save more than $30 billion on utility bills thanks to ENERGY STAR energy saving appliances.
43. Approximately 30 percent of the energy used in most buildings today is either unnecessary or used inefficiently.
44. It costs just $0.47 per year to charge an iPhone 6. It takes 49 times as much energy to charge a desktop computer and 72 times as much energy to power a flat screen television.
45. If every home in the United States replaced one light bulb with an energy efficient alternative, the amount of energy saved could light 3 million homes for a single year.
46. The microwave is the most energy efficient appliance in most kitchens. It uses one-third of the wattage that the average oven uses.
47. Energy efficient washing machines, use approximately 1/3 less energy than standard machines.
48. The average household wastes $150 per year in energy costs just from holes and cracks in their homes.
49. Residential LED lights use 75% less energy and last 25 times longer than incandescent lighting products.
50. Insulation products installed in buildings in the United States save approximately 12 quadrillion Btus annually or approximately 42% of the energy that would have otherwise been consumed.