Washington's Energy Indicators

9.  Residential Sector Trends — Household Energy Intensity

ENERGY CONSUMPTION PER WASHINGTON HOUSEHOLD HAS DECLINED BY MORE THAN A THIRD SINCE PEAKING IN 1972, SUGGESTING AN IMPROVEMENT IN HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EFFICIENCY. GAINS HAVE SLOWED IN RECENT YEARS.

Washington households continue to become more energy efficient. Energy consumption per household has declined by nearly 20 percent since 1985, a rate of 2.1 percent per year. The 1970s were characterized by declining oil and natural gas consumption, with gas use per household falling by 33 percent between 1970 and 1980. Oil consumption dropped from 300 gallons per household in 1970 to 85 in 1983, with half the decline occurring after the second oil shock in 1978. A number of households may have switched to wood as a primary source of space heating during this time. Electricity consumption per household began to decline in the early 1980s after decades of growth. Despite larger houses and the recent proliferation of electricity-using appliances, electricity consumption per household declined by 14 percent between 1985 and 1995.

The trend toward lower household energy consumption has slowed recently, as declines in wood and petroleum consumption during the 1990s have been offset by increasing natural gas consumption. Moreover, these data do not include energy used for personal transportation, which has increased markedly during the last fifteen years.

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