ENERGY CONSUMPTION PER CAPITA

In this section:

Why this indicator?

What are the trends?

What does it mean?

About the data		 Sidebar:

How does Washington Energy Consumption Compare?

Summary

Total energy consumption per capita in 1993 was similar to 1970 levels and to the historical average for the 1970 to 1993 period. Transportation energy consumption per person increased during the 1970 to 1993 time period and in 1991 exceeded non-transportation (residential, commercial, and industrial) consumption for the first time. This indicates that transportation energy consumption was growing at a faster rate than population and demonstrates the important impact of the transportation sector on increases in energy consumption. Conversely, energy consumption in the non-transportation sectors grew at a slower rate than population.

  Total Transportation Energy Consumption Total Non-Transportation Energy Consumption Energy Consumption per Capita Transportation Energy Consumption per Capita Non-Transportation   Total Energy Consumption per Capita
Year TBtu TBtu MBtu/person MBtu/person   MBtu/person
     
1970 289 468   85 137   222
1971 296 476   86 139   225
1972 300 530   88 154   242
1973 327 546   95 159   253
1974 327 521   93 149   242
1975 349 480   98 135   233
1976 365 475   100 131   231
1977 375 483   101 130   231
1978 403 489   105 127   233
1979 434 502   109 126   235
1980 413 485   100 117   217
1981 402 526   95 124   220
1982 377 505   88 118   206
1983 363 469   84 109   193
1984 392 530   90 122   212
1985 412 524   93 119   212
1986 480 499   108 112   219
1987 496 513   110 113   223
1988 518 554   112 120   232
1989 560 539   118 114   233
1990 570 561   117 115   232
1991 577 566   115 113   229
1992 639 532   125 104   229
1993 586 557   112 106   218
Sources: Consumption -- Energy Information Administration; Population -- OFM, Forecasting Division

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Why Select This Indicator?

Examining energy consumption per person shows whether energy consumption is growing faster or slower than state population and provides an important indicator of state energy intensity trends. Separating transportation from non-transportation energy consumption is important for two reasons: 1) transportation-sector energy consumption accounts for the largest share of total energy consumption (over half); and 2) the infrastructure for delivering and consuming energy in the transportation sector is significantly different than in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.

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What Are The Trends?

Energy consumption in Washington increased by 51 percent from 1970 to 1993. However, total energy consumption per person was two percent less in 1993 than in 1970 and four percent less than the historical average for this period. Per capita consumption was highest in 1973 and lowest in 1983. Transportation energy consumption per person grew 32 percent from 1970 to 1993. Non-transportation energy consumption per capita dropped 23 percent from 1970 to 1993 and its share declined from 62 percent to 49 percent.

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What Does It Mean?

Total energy consumption has grown at a similar rate as state population. The peak in energy consumption per person coincides closely with the period of lowest energy prices in the early 1970s and the valley corresponds to the peak in energy prices in 1982. Growth in transportation energy consumption per capita is driven by growth in travel per person (see the transportation indicators). The decline in non-transportation energy consumption is influenced by increases in energy efficiency and shifts to less energy intensive industries and businesses.

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About the Data

End-use energy consumption data are from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA data are modified to exclude consumption for non-energy uses of petroleum. Statewide population data are from the Office of Financial Management, Forecasting Division. See Appendix D for more information.

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How Does Washington State Energy Consumption per Person Compare?

A common way to compare the energy consumption for different regions or countries is energy consumption per person. Energy consumption per person in Washington state was five to 10 percent less than in the rest of the country during the 1970s, but this trend reversed in the mid 1980s. For 1993, per capita consumption again dipped below the United States level. A number of factors can influence per capita energy consumption in a location:

  • Energy intensity of industries: Some regions may have industries that consume large amounts of energy to produce goods that are exported from the region. This can inflate energy consumption per capita.
  • Climate: Locations with severe climates tend to use more energy for heating, cooling and refrigeration.
  • Economic Development: Ownership of energy consuming equipment, such as appliances and vehicles, and industrial development tend to be concentrated in wealthier regions, resulting in higher per capita energy consumption.
  • Travel Characteristics: Transportation is a major contributor to energy use. Locations with high levels of travel, long travel distances, and limited public transit will tend to have high energy consumption per person.
  • Efficiency: Countries with high energy efficiency are able to maintain quality of life with relatively lower levels of energy consumption per capita.

Characteristics of Washington State that influence per capita consumption include:

  • Washington has a relatively mild climate and is blessed with an abundance of high quality hydroelectric energy.
  • Washington has some energy intensive industries like aluminum, pulp and paper, and aerospace. Travel distances in Washington tend to be a little longer than in other parts of the country.

Relative to the rest of the world, the United States and Washington have significantly higher levels of per capita consumption. Other developed countries such as Germany, England and Japan consume less than half the energy per capita as the United States. Much of the rest of the world uses five to 10 times less energy per person than the United States.

Energy Consumption per Capita
(kilograms of oil equivalent)
Country 1965 1990
Canada 6,007 10,009
United States 6,535 7,822
England 3,483 3,646
Japan 1,474 3,563
Germany 2,478 3,491
Mexico 605 1,300
Brazil 286 915
China 178 598
Egypt 313 598
India 100 231
Source: World Bank. World
Development Report 1992,
Table 5, p.226-227.

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