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Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)

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‹ BACK TO ALL 2018 CBECS TABLES

Release date: September 2021
Revised date: September 2022
Table B2.  Summary table: total and medians of floorspace, number of workers, and hours of operation, 2018
  Number of buildings (thousand) Total
floorspace
(million
square feet)		 Total
workers
(thousand)		 Median
square feet
per building (thousand)		 Median square feet per worker1 Median operating hours per week Median age of buildings (years)
All buildings 5,918 96,423 85,796 5.4 1,167 50 36
Building floorspace (square feet)              
1,001 to 5,000  2,833 8,025 9,717 2.6 750 45 38
5,001 to 10,000  1,359 10,204 9,085 7.5 1,500 49 36
10,001 to 25,000 981 15,838 12,244 15.0 1,967 50 34
25,001 to 50,000 386 13,957 10,744 35.0 2,217 60 33
50,001 to 100,000  218 15,302 12,846 66.6 1,515 60 31
100,001 to 200,000  93 13,003 11,428 138.0 1,692 65 28
200,001 to 500,000  40 11,776 10,508 270.7 1,710 75 31
Over 500,000  9 8,317 9,224 762.2 1,603 112 32
Principal building activity              
Education 437 13,623 10,370 8.8 1,060 50 37
Food sales  163 1,006 917 2.4 1,100 112 38
Food service  286 1,385 2,884 3.5 500 80 39
Health care  137 4,018 6,656 6.0 459 48 29
Inpatient  9 2,259 3,597 121.0 730 168 35
Outpatient  129 1,760 3,059 5.7 453 45 29
Lodging  207 6,976 2,764 13.6 1,987 168 27
Mercantile  517 10,781 8,882 8.8 1,232 55 37
Retail (other than mall)  350 5,193 3,251 6.0 1,700 55 43
Enclosed and strip malls  167 5,588 5,631 13.0 688 55 30
Office  970 16,662 32,843 5.0 609 45 38
Public assembly  488 7,192 3,338 6.1 2,072 45 43
Public order and safety  81 1,538 1,587 5.6 1,000 168 32
Religious worship  439 5,471 1,948 8.0 2,500 15 45
Service  867 6,240 4,736 4.2 1,378 45 35
Warehouse and storage  1,004 17,483 7,081 6.0 2,400 50 28
Other  113 2,435 1,598 6.0 1,429 54 28
Vacant  208 1,612 Q 3.6 4,000 0 40
Year constructed              
Before 1920 329 3,600 2,731 4.5 1,461 40 120
1920 to 1945 379 5,646 5,304 5.0 1,250 45 88
1946 to 1959 517 6,937 5,487 5.0 1,200 48 65
1960 to 1969 685 10,360 8,481 5.6 1,291 49 54
1970 to 1979 831 13,061 10,822 5.3 1,250 46 43
1980 to 1989 794 13,465 14,755 5.3 960 50 34
1990 to 1999 921 15,535 13,504 6.2 1,250 50 22
2000 to 2009 924 17,500 15,696 6.0 1,058 50 13
2010 to 2018 537 10,319 9,017 6.0 1,091 60 4
Census region and division              
Northeast 793 15,951 15,152 5.7 1,400 54 46
New England  275 3,749 3,616 5.0 1,400 60 44
Middle Atlantic 518 12,202 11,536 6.0 1,378 50 48
Midwest 1,719 25,932 19,924 5.3 1,386 48 38
East North Central 1,110 17,561 13,951 5.1 1,294 48 41
West North Central 609 8,372 5,973 5.5 1,422 50 34
South 2,143 34,907 30,820 5.0 1,071 48 33
South Atlantic  1,034 17,923 16,420 5.0 1,125 48 33
East South Central 347 5,404 3,923 5.5 1,091 46 36
West South Central 762 11,580 10,477 5.5 1,000 48 30
West 1,264 19,633 19,900 5.7 1,012 50 34
Mountain 484 7,680 8,119 6.6 1,055 54 33
Pacific 780 11,952 11,780 5.4 1,000 50 35
Climate zoneb              
Cold or very cold 539 7,044 5,445 5.0 1,250 50 40
Cool 1,727 26,768 22,477 5.3 1,378 50 39
Mixed mild 1,216 25,096 23,442 5.5 1,175 50 35
Warm 1,606 25,085 21,301 5.6 1,200 45 35
Hot or very hot 831 12,429 13,130 5.0 839 50 33
Number of floors              
1 4,106 43,576 34,034 4.8 1,106 49 33
2 1,286 23,300 18,268 8.0 1,276 50 42
3 370 10,516 8,316 12.0 1,500 50 66
4 to 9 142 13,031 15,293 53.1 1,160 65 44
10 or more 16 6,000 9,886 226.0 745 85 36
Elevators and escalators
(more than one may apply)		              
Any elevators 503 36,501 40,521 34.3 1,377 60 33
1 elevator 366 14,215 11,669 24.0 1,500 55 33
2 to 5 elevators 121 13,316 15,470 83.0 1,222 70 31
6 or more elevators 16 8,970 13,382 369.9 750 80 33
Any escalators 14 3,753 4,345 30.0 2,756 168 17
Number of workers (main shift)              
Fewer than 5 3,270 21,065 5,726 4.0 2,000 44 38
5 to 9 1,116 10,323 7,303 5.0 833 50 37
10 to 19 713 11,348 9,062 8.9 664 55 36
20 to 49 492 16,132 14,185 18.1 700 60 28
50 to 99 201 12,961 12,788 45.7 766 60 32
100 to 249 90 12,442 13,183 97.7 720 61 28
250 or more 37 12,152 23,548 200.0 409 64 31
Weekly operating hours              
Fewer than 40 1,370 10,776 5,901 4.0 1,800 10 42
40 to 48 1,483 18,826 16,706 5.5 1,000 40 37
49 to 60 1,250 22,845 24,636 6.5 1,071 55 38
61 to 84 645 14,727 14,655 8.0 1,046 72 31
85 to 167 465 10,038 7,655 5.3 1,175 108 27
Open continuously 705 19,213 16,243 6.1 1,350 168 28
Ownership and occupancy              
Nongovernment owned 4,982 74,728 66,568 5.4 1,200 50 36
Owner occupied 3,249 45,355 37,126 5.5 1,360 50 38
Leased to tenant(s) 1,581 28,382 29,442 5.7 1,000 55 34
Unoccupied 152 990 0 3.6 N 0 39
Government owned 937 21,695 19,228 5.9 1,056 45 34
Federal 70 1,946 2,597 3.6 645 50 23
State 256 6,888 5,746 6.2 1,071 45 34
Local 610 12,861 10,885 5.9 1,091 45 36
Party responsible for operation
of energy systems		              
Building owner 4,872 79,282 70,432 5.3 1,200 48 36
Business owner or tenant 831 12,842 10,637 5.5 1,113 51 38
Property management 97 1,994 2,311 4.5 750 60 21
Other 118 2,306 2,415 6.2 900 55 37
Provider of direct input on energy-
related equipment purchases		              
Building owner 5,127 82,862 73,240 5.5 1,200 50 36
Business owner or tenant 483 7,585 6,376 5.4 1,000 50 36
Property management 49 1,072 1,170 4.5 1,042 55 20
Other 260 4,904 5,010 5.2 1,000 55 41
Number of establishments              
1 4,719 65,391 50,407 5.0 1,250 50 36
2 to 5 811 16,431 15,937 8.0 1,000 50 38
6 to 10 135 5,539 7,206 17.5 688 55 33
11 to 20 63 3,894 5,751 28.0 775 72 32
More than 20 19 3,999 6,494 97.8 650 65 35
Currently unoccupied 170 1,168 0 3.6 N 0 39
Campus or complex activity              
Not part of a campus or complex 3,622 56,609 50,340 5.0 1,125 50 39
Primary or secondary school 247 5,106 3,681 7.2 1,250 40 28
College or university 103 3,761 2,700 15.8 1,560 60 36
Office complex 141 3,823 8,446 5.7 574 50 35
Retail complex 250 4,573 4,171 7.5 922 54 26
Storage complex 418 5,684 1,933 7.8 2,917 72 20
Religious campus or complex 253 3,209 1,692 8.5 2,800 12 48
Health care complex 60 2,838 4,415 8.8 724 52 24
Lodging or resort complex 102 1,575 758 4.5 1,520 168 34
Transportation complex 36 774 600 5.1 1,100 70 30
Government complex 124 1,706 1,676 3.2 880 40 21
Other 563 6,765 5,383 5.0 1,104 50 31
Predominant exterior wall material              
Brick, stone, or stucco 2,490 46,134 43,670 6.8 1,049 50 41
Concrete (block or poured) 935 19,357 14,995 6.4 1,300 50 42
Concrete panels 137 8,331 8,022 20.0 1,067 51 24
Siding or shingles 948 5,992 5,220 3.2 833 45 35
Metal panels 1,250 12,198 6,584 5.0 1,667 48 23
Window glass 19 2,192 4,522 43.0 964 64 17
Other 139 2,219 2,783 4.5 1,167 50 30
Predominant roof material              
Metal surfacing 2,198 20,936 12,924 5.0 1,500 46 28
Synthetic or rubber 940 31,563 31,789 9.5 1,189 55 42
Built-up 708 19,308 19,471 8.8 1,027 50 45
Slate or tile shingles 376 3,997 3,748 4.3 900 50 39
Wooden materials (including
shingles)		 166 1,568 1,496 4.8 1,000 60 34
Asphalt, fiberglass, or
other shingles		 1,311 14,058 11,509 5.0 1,100 45 41
Concrete 83 1,968 1,931 4.5 1,050 60 43
Other 136 3,026 2,926 6.0 800 50 42
Roof tilt              
Flat 1,914 54,253 55,710 8.5 1,071 52 41
Shallow pitch 2,313 27,609 19,619 5.3 1,250 50 33
Steeper pitch 1,691 14,561 10,466 4.5 1,200 40 34
Cool roof characteristics (more than one may apply)              
White/reflective coating or paint 1,285 32,799 31,826 8.0 1,104 50 34
White/reflective tiles or shingles 140 2,713 2,557 5.5 1,083 55 38
Aluminum coating 528 6,149 4,472 5.0 1,400 45 33
Ballasted roof system 114 6,277 6,872 19.3 1,333 50 46
Other cool roof property 35 1,603 2,359 9.4 875 55 36
Renovations since 2000
(more than one may apply)		              
Any type of renovation 2,032 45,165 44,948 6.8 1,100 50 44
Addition or annex 327 10,854 9,532 9.6 1,255 55 39
Reduction in floorspace 35 1,784 2,369 9.6 625 55 37
Roof replacement 847 20,862 20,388 7.1 1,150 50 49
Interior wall reconfiguration 709 21,283 25,724 7.8 900 50 40
Window replacement 484 10,977 11,390 7.2 1,100 50 53
HVAC equipment upgrade 1,006 27,575 28,643 8.0 1,075 50 48
Lighting upgrade 1,012 29,098 30,404 8.0 1,108 53 46
Electrical upgrade 565 15,761 17,063 7.0 1,000 50 53
Plumbing system upgrade 584 15,537 17,095 6.8 1,067 50 48
Insulation upgrade 307 7,980 8,465 5.8 1,400 56 56
Fire, safety, or security upgrade 570 19,985 20,865 9.0 1,081 58 46
Structural upgrade 147 4,203 5,041 8.0 1,000 55 54
Other 43 1,168 1,027 6.0 1,088 53 43
No renovations 3,530 43,832 34,581 5.0 1,200 48 34
Buildings constructed 2013 or later 357 7,426 6,268 6.0 1,325 55 2
Energy sources
(more than one may apply)		              
Electricity 5,613 94,844 85,693 5.6 1,161 50 37
Natural gas 2,974 67,722 60,519 7.8 1,200 50 38
Fuel oil 583 21,185 24,121 7.0 1,167 50 40
District heat 86 6,745 7,389 20.7 1,800 60 57
District chilled water 55 4,288 4,562 31.0 1,125 60 45
Propane 676 10,157 6,940 5.0 1,333 50 39
Wood 105 802 671 4.0 1,500 48 47
Coal Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Solar 99 3,820 3,846 10.8 942 60 30
Other 79 1,317 1,067 7.2 1,167 60 43
Space-heating energy sources
(more than one may apply)		              
Electricity 2,563 45,603 45,698 5.7 960 50 33
Natural gas 2,587 58,042 50,527 8.0 1,200 50 40
Fuel oil 266 4,134 3,709 4.8 1,350 45 54
District heat 83 6,547 7,131 21.1 1,800 60 58
Propane 431 3,896 2,736 4.0 1,344 40 43
Wood 85 422 222 4.0 2,500 48 49
Coal Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Solar Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Other 40 443 273 6.4 2,832 54 43
Primary space-heating
energy source		              
Electricity 1,856 27,618 29,054 5.0 946 50 32
Natural gas 2,344 50,060 42,756 7.8 1,246 50 41
Fuel oil 222 2,223 1,652 4.5 1,250 45 57
District heat 78 6,090 6,695 20.7 1,800 60 58
Propane 338 2,290 1,692 4.0 1,344 40 41
Wood Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Coal Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Solar N N N N N N N
Other Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Cooling energy sources
(more than one may apply)		              
Electricity 4,584 84,526 79,784 6.0 1,067 50 37
Natural gas 4 400 307 42.5 973 40 57
District chilled water 55 4,288 4,562 31.0 1,125 60 45
Water-heating energy sources
(more than one may apply)		              
Electricity 2,785 47,125 46,374 5.7 1,035 50 37
Natural gas 1,885 46,652 42,146 8.8 1,104 54 38
Fuel oil 72 1,807 1,889 5.0 1,222 64 58
District heat 38 4,206 4,919 40.0 1,883 60 58
Propane 145 1,947 1,855 6.3 1,042 55 38
Cooking energy sources
(more than one may apply)		              
Electricity 1,216 30,509 29,469 7.5 1,125 57 33
Natural gas 727 27,705 26,104 10.0 1,070 68 39
Propane 159 3,101 2,430 5.5 1,100 60 43
Energy end uses
(more than one may apply)		              
Buildings with space heating 4,901 88,661 82,078 6.0 1,125 50 38
Buildings with cooling 4,631 87,506 82,835 6.1 1,067 50 37
Buildings with water heating 4,595 87,717 82,235 6.3 1,100 50 38
Buildings with cooking 1,738 43,580 41,427 7.2 1,100 60 38
Buildings with manufacturing 322 6,871 5,035 6.0 1,164 48 36
Buildings with electricity
generation		 706 29,457 32,409 10.8 1,164 60 29
Percentage of floorspace heated              
Not heated 1,017 7,762 3,718 4.5 1,720 48 29
1 to 50 693 10,623 6,406 5.6 1,533 48 39
51 to 99 905 20,174 20,058 7.2 1,100 50 40
100 3,303 57,864 55,614 5.6 1,070 50 36
Percentage of floorspace cooled              
Not cooled 1,288 8,917 2,961 4.2 2,375 45 33
1 to 50 1,111 19,722 10,727 7.5 1,563 50 39
51 to 99 998 26,277 26,432 7.8 1,081 50 42
100 2,522 41,507 45,675 5.0 883 50 34
Percentage lit when open              
0% Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
1 to 50% 1,280 14,172 6,476 5.6 2,000 45 43
51 to 99% 1,784 38,847 37,954 7.0 1,067 50 38
100% 2,272 39,877 41,135 5.0 1,000 50 33
Building never open/electricity
not used		 513 2,998 183 4.0 2,550 0 33
Percentage lit during off hours              
0% 2,054 15,537 10,333 4.2 1,400 42 38
1 to 50% 3,243 69,761 67,292 7.2 1,067 50 36
51 to 100% 238 7,237 6,281 8.0 1,125 80 34
Building always open with
no "off hours"		 78 2,309 1,788 6.0 2,400 168 21
Electricity not used 305 1,579 103 4.0 Q 50 25
Heating equipment
(more than one may apply)		              
Packaged heating units 2,187 48,064 44,373 8.0 1,000 52 32
Furnaces 1,621 17,272 13,487 5.0 1,200 45 41
Individual space heaters 1,246 21,122 17,188 6.0 1,200 48 38
Boilers 703 28,831 28,263 15.0 1,389 56 43
Heat pumps 673 15,110 14,684 6.5 1,067 50 32
District heat 83 6,547 7,131 21.1 1,800 60 58
Duct reheat 134 7,418 9,848 14.2 973 51 34
Other 17 821 673 24.5 2,140 60 22
Cooling equipment
(more than one may apply)		              
Packaged air-conditioning units 2,565 56,290 53,354 8.1 1,000 50 35
Residential-type central air
conditioners		 1,309 18,270 16,384 5.0 1,074 46 38
Individual air conditioners 735 13,619 10,038 5.5 1,333 50 46
Central chillers 202 17,926 21,716 40.8 1,048 60 37
Heat pumps 492 11,098 11,637 6.4 1,120 50 33
District chilled water 55 4,288 4,562 31.0 1,125 60 45
Swamp coolers 85 2,070 2,103 7.1 890 50 29
Other Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
HVAC features
(more than one may apply)		              
Economizer cycle 747 34,087 37,137 15.1 1,121 60 28
Variable air volume (VAV) system 698 29,268 34,745 9.9 1,111 55 34
Dedicated outside air system (DOAS) 249 9,027 9,453 10.0 1,064 56 40
Demand controlled ventilation (DCV) 349 10,474 9,818 8.5 1,042 50 35
Regular HVAC maintenance 3,554 78,015 75,319 7.2 1,062 50 36
Building automation system (BAS) controls heating/cooling 933 40,462 44,380 13.2 1,064 55 30
Internet-connected/smart thermostat 325 5,966 4,778 8.0 1,200 53 32
Programmable thermostat 1,545 20,882 17,370 6.0 1,000 50 35
Main equipment replaced since
2000 (more than one may apply)		              
Heating 1,937 32,451 29,569 6.3 1,100 50 46
Cooling 1,269 23,013 21,847 6.0 1,083 50 49
Water-heating equipment              
Centralized system 3,538 59,280 52,744 6.0 1,116 50 38
Distributed system 782 14,307 14,110 5.7 917 50 37
Combination of centralized and
distributed system		 274 14,129 15,380 15.0 1,250 55 29
Generation technologies
(more than one may apply)		              
Reciprocating engine generators 580 25,163 28,143 10.5 1,164 60 29
Solar panels 94 3,750 3,779 12.0 1,049 60 30
Other generation technology 43 2,055 2,213 19.6 971 83 22
Lighting equipment types
(more than one may apply)		              
Incandescent 1,100 21,081 20,077 6.0 1,200 48 42
Standard fluorescent 4,019 72,932 67,312 6.0 1,125 50 38
Compact fluorescent 1,133 33,696 34,888 9.5 1,067 55 37
High-intensity discharge (HID) 238 11,356 9,532 15.0 2,500 50 35
Halogen 552 15,012 15,013 9.5 1,030 55 37
LED 2,592 61,847 61,176 7.5 1,100 54 37
Other Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
Refrigeration equipment
(more than one may apply)		              
Any refrigeration 3,850 77,589 73,331 6.2 1,071 50 37
Walk-in units 706 29,384 29,824 8.8 960 84 37
Cases or cabinets 837 28,517 29,508 8.0 1,028 75 38
Large cold storage areas 69 3,592 2,753 6.2 1,250 100 49
Commercial ice makers 872 34,672 34,910 10.4 1,058 70 33
Residential-type or compact units 3,321 64,735 62,176 6.1 1,083 50 37
Vending machines 800 42,071 42,256 20.0 1,091 65 32
No refrigeration 2,068 18,834 12,465 4.7 1,500 45 34
Office equipment
(more than one may apply)		              
Desktop computers 3,804 82,012 78,691 7.5 1,058 50 35
With multiple monitors 1,504 50,844 56,355 10.0 833 50 34
Laptop computers 2,786 69,375 69,993 8.0 1,000 50 37
Dedicated servers 1,400 51,595 56,604 12.0 875 52 33
Tablets charged in building 1,556 48,778 51,562 10.0 938 55 33
Large floor-standing office devices2 1,456 54,088 58,144 12.8 960 50 34
Smaller desktop office devices2 3,560 74,467 71,347 6.5 1,053 50 36
Interactive whiteboards 262 16,939 18,450 27.6 1,071 50 31
Televisions/video displays 2,451 63,618 63,777 8.5 1,070 55 34
Point-of-sales devices/cash registers 1,420 33,606 35,979 6.0 889 60 37
Food preparation or serving areas
in non-food service buildings
(more than one may apply)		              
Snack bar/concession stand/coffee shop 144 10,361 10,567 16.6 1,550 71 31
Fast food/small restaurant 160 9,759 10,823 14.0 1,050 75 34
Cafeteria/large restaurant 129 14,531 15,160 62.0 1,634 55 40
Commercial kitchen/
food preparation area		 284 17,698 15,081 22.0 1,413 66 35
Small kitchen area 1,018 20,519 18,600 6.3 1,200 50 38
Separate computer areas
(more than one may apply)		              
Server closet 1,237 48,722 51,926 12.3 947 50 29
Data center 116 11,383 14,374 24.5 1,000 60 24
Computer-based training room 228 16,556 17,081 28.5 1,056 60 32
Student or public computer center 236 12,527 9,728 20.0 1,200 50 34
Window and interior lighting
features (more than one may
apply)		              
Multipaned windows 3,527 72,694 68,818 7.0 1,108 50 33
Tinted window glass 1,679 44,363 46,894 8.8 1,000 50 34
Reflective window glass 497 17,929 20,883 12.5 933 55 27
External overhangs or awnings 1,513 28,718 26,663 6.1 1,000 50 34
Skylights or atriums 509 19,815 18,169 10.8 1,357 50 32
Light scheduling 910 33,552 36,481 10.8 1,054 58 29
Occupancy sensors 1,025 44,304 46,637 13.0 1,150 55 28
Multi-level lighting or dimming 332 14,424 15,759 10.4 1,250 54 38
Daylight harvesting 138 7,244 9,573 12.5 1,042 55 22
Plug-load control 58 1,961 2,132 5.7 667 60 28
Demand responsive lighting 98 2,045 2,002 5.3 1,459 50 41
Building automation system (BAS) for lighting 317 16,645 18,648 15.0 1,048 60 15
Electric vehicle (EV) charging              
Charging stations associated with the building 132 10,165 11,217 23.0 1,139 68 23
 
Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-871A of the 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey
Notes: Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. The Guide to the 2018 CBECS Tables and CBECS Terminology contain definitions of terms used in these tables and comparisons between previous CBECS tables. You can access both references from http://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/data/2018/.
Data are sample survey estimates with RSEs published in a tab on the Excel worksheet for this table.
aBuildings with zero workers are excluded from this column.
bClimate zones are based on ASHRAE Standard 169-2021; see https://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/maps.php#defined.
cOffice devices refers to any combination of printers, copiers, scanners, or FAX machines.
Q = Data withheld either because the relative standard error (RSE) was greater than 50% or fewer than 20 buildings in reporting sample.
N = No buildings in reporting sample.