Summer Energy Consumption

SUMMER ENERGY CONSUMPTION SO HOT RIGHT NOW While the sizzling summer heat sends people flocking to air conditioning and heated swimming pools alike, when it comes to seasonal extremes, summer is perhaps the lesser of two evils. Renewable energy consumption peaks in the hottest months, while the power derived from fossil fuels-the source most dangerous to our planet and most abundantly consumed during the winter-bottoms out. RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION VERSUS AVERAGE U.S. TEMPERATURE, BY MONTH FOSSIL FUELS > RENEWABLE AVERAGE U.S. TEMPERATURE (°F) ELECTRIC TRADITIONAL POWER PLANTS AND NUCLEAR GENERATION NATURAL GAS AND PETROLEUM NOT USED IN ELECTRICITY GENERATION GEOTHERMAL, SOLAR, AND BIOMASS 77 74° 71° 6° 63° 55° 54° 50° 440 36 36° JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DÉC WINTER SPRING SUMMER FALL POOL-PROOF POLITICS THE HOTS FOR RENEWABLE +6% Contrary to popular thought, pool use may not play as significant a role as you'd expect in the summer energy boom, when fossil fuel use experiences its annual low. Renewable energy use was 6% higher in total national consumption in the 4 hottest months (May through August) than in the 4 coldest (November through February). 2,100,000 COOL RUNNINGS Total heated pools throughout the U.S. 87% of all American homes-98.8 million of them-are equipped with air conditioning appliances. 62% Use fossil fuel natural gas to H heat their pools 24% Air conditioning accounts for 19% of household electricity H Use an electric heat source consumption, at an annual cost of more than $11 billion to homeowners. In all, pool heating accounted for a mere .23% of residential energy in 2012. Summertime swimming may not be to blame for high summer energy use, after all. Lighting Water Heating H Space Cooling H EXTREME TEMPERATURES CALL FOR EXTREME ENERGY CONSUMPTION WINTER HEATING WOES 14.8% 17.7% 14.8% DEC JAN FEB 48% of energy consumption in U.S. homes is used for heating and cooling (based on 2009 data), providing at least a partial explanation for the peaks in energy use in both the dead of winter and the dog days of summer. 47.3% Natural gas heats >50% of annual residential fossil fuel consumption occurs during the winter months of December, January, and February, alone. of the nation's homes. The nation's hottest region uses a disproportionate amount of the country's electricity. The 5 hottest summer states consume 21 6% of the nation's electricity per year. THE HOT, THE COLD, AND THE UGLY 5 Hottest States in the Summer (1) TEXAS LOUISIANA FLORIDA OKLAHOMA MISSISSIPPI 82.2° 82.0° 81.6° 80.6° 80.3 *2000-2012 averages for June, July, and August according to National Climatic Data Center. IN ANY GIVEN MONTH, THE AVERAGE SOUTHERN STATE IS 8.2° HOTTER THAN THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. However, the nation's coldest states-Wyoming, North Dakota and Alaska among them- tend to rank higher than the hottest states in total energy consumption per capita. 5 Highest-Consuming States, per Capita (Million Btus per Year) (1 WYOMING LOUISIANA ALASKA NORTH DAKOTA IOWA 975 887 861 768 494 * Most recent data available, from 2011. SOURCES National Climatic Data Center; U.S. Energy Information Administration; Natural Resources Defense Council SAVE ON ENERGY.com CREATED BY COLUMN FIVE 2012 RESIDENTIAL ENERGY (BTU – TRILLIONS)