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Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)

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Consumption & Expenditures Tables

Table Titles	Consumption	Expenditures
Tables: CE1 Total Energy Consumption in U.S. Households	PDF	PDF
Tables: CE2 Space Heating in U.S. Households	PDF	PDF
NOTE: As of 5/5/00, the "heated square footage" and "intensities" numbers were revised and will differ from the numbers in the published report.
Tables: CE3 Air Conditioning in U.S. Households	PDF	PDF
Tables: CE4 Water Heating in U.S. Households	PDF	PDF
Tables: CE5 Appliances, in U.S. Households	PDF	PDF

Fuel Tables	Consumption
Table 1. Natural Gas Consumption and Expenditures in U.S. Households by End Uses and Census Region	PDF
Table 2. Fuel Oil Consumption and Expenditures in U.S. Households by End Uses and Census Region	PDF
Table 3. Electricity Consumption and Expenditures in U.S. Households by End Uses and Census Region	PDF
Table 4. LPG Consumption and Expenditures in U.S. Households by End Uses and Census Region	PDF
Table 5. Kerosene Consumption and Expenditures in U.S. Households by End Uses and Census Region	PDF

Household Energy Usage

The 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) collected household energy data for the four most populated States: California, Florida, New York, and Texas. Data for all the other States are aggregated and available at the Census Division (groups of 3 to 8 States) level.

For an overview of the energy-related characteristics and usage in each of the four most populated States, click on the State (in the left column).

For detailed data, choose from the tables listed below. Each table presents the pertinent information for each of the four States. All these data are from the 1997 RECS and are the most recent end-user household data.

Energy End Usage: The suppliers of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, and propane to the 5,000 households are then asked to provide the amount and cost of fuels delivered to the household. Through a statistical regression procedure, the total usage and costs of energy are allocated among four energy end uses: space heating, air conditioning, water heating, and appliances.

Energy End-Use Tables for the Four Most Populated States (CA, FL, NY, and TX)	Characteristics (Million U.S. Households)	Percentages (Percent of U.S. Households)
Table CE1 - Total Energy Consumption in U.S. Households (Includes: number of households and fuels used, all households and per household consumption in both Btu and physical units.)	PDF	PDF
Table CE2 - Space-Heating Energy Consumption in U.S. Households (Includes: number of households and fuels used, all households and average per household Btu consumption, and heated square footage by fuel.)	PDF	PDF
Table CE3 - Electric Air-Conditioning (AC) Energy Consumption in U.S. Households (Includes: number of households using AC, all households and average per household AC consumption (in Btu and KWh), cooled square footage and cooling degree-days.)	PDF	PDF
Table CE4 - Water-Heating Energy Consumption in U.S. Households (Includes: number of households with water heating, fuels used, all households and average per household water-heating consumption.)	PDF	PDF
Table CE5 - Appliances Energy Consumption in U.S. Households (Includes: number of households with appliances; all households and average per household appliances consumption in Btu and physical units, and appliances fuel used.)	PDF	PDF

Median Values and Percentiles for Household Energy Data

The 1997 RECS detailed tables contain estimates of mean annual energy consumption for households. The amount of energy consumed by households varies widely–a useful way to describe the variation is with tables and graphs of percentiles of consumption. For each of the household characteristics categories below are tables and graphs of percentiles of consumption (5th, 10th, 25th, median, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles), and tables and graphs of mean values of consumption, standard errors, and 95% confidence ranges.

Electricity Consumption per Household

All Households
Census Division
Year Constructed
Type of Housing Unit
Household Income

Natural Gas Consumption per Household

All Households
Census Division
Year Constructed
Type of Housing Unit
Household Income

All Households

Table 1. Annual Electricity Consumption Percentiles, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	2,287	3,167	5,056	8,370	13,485	19,866	24,436
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The percentiles describe the distribution of household electricity consumption data; for example, 25% of households consumed less than 5,056 kWh and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Electricity Consumption, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	Electricity Consumption per Household (kWh)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (kWh)	95% confidence level lower bound (kWh)	95% confidence level upper bound (kWh)
All Households	10,219	1.4	430	9,939	10,499
Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for electricity consumption is 10,219 kWh and the standard error is 430 kWh. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 9,939 kWh to 10,499 kWh.

Census Division

Table 1. Annual Electricity Consumption Percentiles by Census Division, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	2,287	3,167	5,056	8,370	13,485	19,866	24,436
Census Division
New England	1,911	2,470	3,580	5,739	8,723	12,473	16,609
Middle Atlantic	1,682	2,287	3,573	5,608	9,653	14,344	19,137
East North Central	2,311	3,252	4,705	7,378	10,749	15,390	18,789
West North Central	2,765	3,413	5,425	8,385	12,700	18,116	25,168
South Atlantic	3,745	5,227	7,800	11,861	17,440	22,418	25,509
East South Central	3,978	5,706	8,941	13,286	19,545	26,914	30,900
West South Central	3,704	5,065	7,939	12,220	17,477	25,927	29,632
Mountain	2,756	3,336	5,301	7,976	12,161	17,944	21,154
Pacific	1,778	2,345	3,831	6,333	10,440	16,839	20,821
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The percentiles describe the distribution of household electricity consumption data; for example, 25% of households in New England consumed less than 3,580 kWh and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Electricity Consumption by Census Division, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	Electricity Consumption per Household (kWh)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (kWh)	95% confidence level lower bound (kWh)	95% confidence level upper bound (kWh)
All Households	10,219	1.4	430	9,939	10,499
Census Division
New England	7,062	5.5	388	6,301	7,824
Middle Atlantic	7,313	4.4	322	6,682	7,944
East North Central	8,631	5.0	432	7,785	9,476
West North Central	10,181	6.6	672	8,864	11,498
South Atlantic	13,077	2.9	379	12,334	13,820
East South Central	14,890	6.4	953	13,023	16,758
West South Central	13,826	4.5	622	12,606	15,045
Mountain	9,424	4.5	424	8,593	10,256
Pacific	8,203	2.9	238	7,737	8,669
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for electricity consumption for New England is 7,062 kWh and the standard error is 388 kWh. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 6,301kWh to 7,824 kWh.

Years Constructed

Table 1. Annual Electricity Consumption Percentiles by Year Constructed, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	2,287	3,167	5,056	8,370	13,485	19,866	24,436
Year Constructed
Before 1940	1,778	2,369	3,867	6,363	10,256	14,369	18,355
1940 to 1949	1,778	2,212	3,574	5,940	9,660	14,945	19,452
1950 to 1959	2,345	3,070	4,651	7,556	11,234	17,193	22,229
1960 to 1969	2,374	3,172	4,912	7,969	12,032	18,267	21,976
1970 to 1979	2,311	3,336	5,925	10,039	15,976	23,422	27,933
1980 to 1989	3,723	4,738	7,156	10,950	16,555	22,312	26,137
1990 to 1997	3,518	4,283	7,281	10,815	16,860	21,812	24,893
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The percentiles describe the distribution of household electricity consumption data; for example, 25% of households in units constructed before 1940 consumed less than 3,867 kWh and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Electricity Consumption by Year Constructed, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	Electricity Consumption per Household (kWh)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (kWh)	95% confidence level lower bound (kWh)	95% confidence level upper bound (kWh)
All Households	10,219	1.4	430	9,939	10,499
Year Constructed
Before 1940	7,781	2.6	202	7,384	8,177
1940 to 1949	7,641	4.8	367	6,922	8,359
1950 to 1959	9,033	3.0	271	8,502	9,564
1960 to 1969	9,459	3.1	293	8,884	10,034
1970 to 1979	11,976	2.9	347	11,295	12,657
1980 to 1989	12,449	2.6	324	11,814	13,083
1990 to 1997	12,512	4.4	551	11,433	13,591
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for electricity consumption in units constructed before 1940 is 7,781 kilowatthours (kWh) and the standard error is 202 kWh. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 7,384 kWh to 8,177 kWh.

Type of Housing Unit

Table 1. Annual Electricity Consumption Percentiles by Type of Housing Unit, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	2,287	3,167	5,056	8,370	13,485	19,866	24,436
Type of Housing Unit
Mobile Home	3,236	3,994	6,059	10,227	16,228	21,815	24,836
Single-Family, Detached	3,408	4,310	6,414	9,942	15,120	21,812	26,900
Single-Family, Attached	2,149	2,841	3,993	6,542	10,501	16,726	19,533
Multifamily, 2 to 4 Units	1,487	1,839	3,071	4,988	8,615	12,938	16,602
Multifamily, 5 or More Units	1,579	1,903	2,864	4,713	7,777	12,069	14,733
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The percentiles describe the distribution of household electricity consumption data; for example, 25% of households living in mobile homes consumed less than 6,059 kWh and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Electricity Consumption by Type of Housing Unit, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	Electricity Consumption per Household (kWh)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (kWh)	95% confidence level lower bound (kWh)	95% confidence level upper bound (kWh)
All Households	10,219	1.4	430	9,939	10,499
Type of Housing Unit
Mobile Home	11,739	4.0	470	10,818	12,659
Single-Family, Detached	11,778	1.6	188	11,409	12,147
Single-Family, Attached	8,071	3.9	315	7,454	8,688
Multifamily, 2 to 4 Units	6,505	5.3	345	5,829	7,181
Multifamily, 5 or More Units	5,990	4.2	252	5,497	6,483
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for electricity consumption for mobile homes is 11,739 kWh and the standard error is 470 kWh. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 10,818 kWh to 12,659 kWh.

Household Income

Table 1. Annual Electricity Consumption Percentiles by Household Income, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	2,287	3,167	5,056	8,370	13,485	19,866	24,436
Household Income
Less than 10,000 Dollars	1,577	2,033	3,297	5,704	9,432	14,994	19,537
10,000 to 14,999 Dollars	1,778	2,250	3,798	6,313	10,249	15,780	20,878
15,000 to 19,999 Dollars	2,125	2,965	4,452	7,688	12,313	17,148	20,451
20,000 to 24,999 Dollars	2,324	3,311	4,823	8,065	12,706	18,881	23,032
25,000 to 34,999 Dollars	2,774	3,358	5,210	7,922	12,534	17,845	21,853
35,000 to 49,999 Dollars	2,916	3,843	5,569	9,166	13,770	19,943	24,532
50,000 to 74,999 Dollars	3,126	4,360	6,852	10,589	16,335	22,406	26,571
More than 75,000 Dollars	4,047	5,000	7,777	11,814	18,044	26,207	30,556
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The percentiles describe the distribution of household electricity consumption data; for example, 25% of households with incomes less than 10,000 dollars consumed less than 3,297 kilowatthours (kWh) and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Electricity Consumption by Household Income, 1997 (kilowatthours per household)
	Electricity Consumption per Household (kWh)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (kWh)	95% confidence level lower bound (kWh)	95% confidence level upper bound (kWh)
All Households	10,219	1.4	430	9,939	10,499
Household Income
Less than 10,000 Dollars	7,372	4.8	354	6,678	8,065
10,000 to 14,999 Dollars	7,975	3.8	303	7,381	8,568
15,000 to 19,999 Dollars	9,031	3.4	307	8,429	9,633
20,000 to 24,999 Dollars	9,963	4.6	458	9,065	10,862
25,000 to 34,999 Dollars	9,652	2.3	222	9,217	10,087
35,000 to 49,999 Dollars	10,697	2.5	267	10,173	11,221
50,000 to 74,999 Dollars	12,265	2.8	343	11,592	12,938
More than 75,000 Dollars	13,988	2.8	392	13,220	14,755
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used electricity. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for electricity consumption for households with incomes less than 10,000 dollars is 7,372 kilowatthours (kWh) and the standard error is 354 kWh. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 6,678 kWh to 8,065 kWh.

Table 1. Annual Natural Gas Consumption Percentiles, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	12	22	43	74	113	154	188
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The percentiles describe the distribution of household natural gas consumption data; for example, 25% of households consumed less than 43 thousand cubic feet and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Natural Gas Consumption, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	Natural Gas Consumption per Household (1,000 cf)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level lower bound (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level upper bound (1,000 cf)
All Households	83	1.8	1	80	86
Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for natural gas consumption for households is 83 thousand cubic feet (cf) and the standard error is 1 thousand cf. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 80 thousand cf to 86 thousand cf.

Census Division

Table 1. Annual Natural Gas Consumption Percentiles by Census Division, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	12	22	43	74	113	154	188
Census Division
New England	4	8	41	83	123	151	166
Middle Atlantic	3	5	40	80	119	161	190
East North Central	38	58	79	114	149	194	218
West North Central	32	51	72	97	128	165	213
South Atlantic	13	19	33	57	87	109	146
East South Central	13	22	39	56	86	123	152
West South Central	20	27	43	61	88	114	135
Mountain	17	22	43	70	103	133	160
Pacific	14	20	28	47	66	89	113
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The percentiles describe the distribution of household natural gas consumption data; for example, 25% of households in New England consumed less than 41 thousand cubic feet and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Natural Gas Consumption by Census Division, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	Natural Gas Consumption per Household (1,000 cf)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level lower bound (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level upper bound (1,000 cf)
All Households	83	1.8	1	80	86
Census Division
New England	85	5.3	4	76	94
Middle Atlantic	85	4.2	4	78	92
East North Central	119	1.4	2	116	123
West North Central	104	6.7	7	91	118
South Atlantic	65	8.9	6	53	76
East South Central	67	8.7	6	56	79
West South Central	68	8.6	6	57	80
Mountain	77	6.6	5	67	87
Pacific	53	4.5	2	48	57
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for natural gas consumption for households in New England is 85 thousand cubic feet (cf) and the standard error is 4 thousand cf. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 76 thousand cf to 94 thousand cf.

Year Constructed

Table 1. Annual Natural Gas Consumption Percentiles by Year Constructed, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	12	22	43	74	113	154	188
Year Constructed
Before 1940	5	18	51	97	141	193	217
1940 to 1949	12	23	43	72	112	154	176
1950 to 1959	15	26	49	76	111	142	161
1960 to 1969	14	20	37	66	97	140	174
1970 to 1979	12	20	38	69	103	139	164
1980 to 1989	16	24	46	67	96	120	136
1990 to 1997	18	27	41	68	104	145	199
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The percentiles describe the distribution of household natural gas consumption data; for example, 25% of households in units constructed before 1940 consumed less than 51 thousand cubic feet and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Natural Gas Consumption by Year Constructed, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	Natural Gas Consumption per Household (1,000 cf)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level lower bound (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level upper bound (1,000 cf)
All Households	83	1.8	1	80	86
Year Constructed
Before 1940	103	3.2	3	97	109
1940 to 1949	81	6.6	5	71	92
1950 to 1959	81	3.3	3	76	87
1960 to 1969	74	3.6	3	69	79
1970 to 1979	76	4.0	3	71	82
1980 to 1989	72	4.0	3	67	78
1990 to 1997	80	8.0	6	67	93
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for natural gas consumption in units constructed before 1940 is 103 thousand cubic feet (cf) and the standard error is 3 thousand cf. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 97 thousand cf to 109 thousand cf.

Type of Housing Unit

Table 1. Annual Natural Gas Consumption Percentiles by Type of Housing Unit, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	12	22	43	74	113	154	188
Type of Housing Unit
Mobile Home	17	21	38	63	91	123	141
Single-Family, Detached	24	34	56	86	121	162	194
Single-Family, Attached	18	22	41	72	114	153	193
Multifamily, 2 to 4 Units	11	21	41	73	113	160	201
Multifamily, 5 or More Units	4	5	14	30	52	72	79
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The percentiles describe the distribution of household electricity consumption data; for example, 25% of households living in mobile homes consumed less than 38 thousand cubic feet and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Natural Gas Consumption by Type of Housing Unit, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	Natural Gas Consumption per Household (1,000 cf)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Error (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level lower bound (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level upper bound (1,000 cf)
All Households	83	1.8	1	80	86
Type of Housing Unit
Mobile Home	68	8.3	6	57	79
Single-Family, Detached	94	1.9	2	91	97
Single-Family, Attached	83	4.4	4	76	90
Multifamily, 2 to 4 Units	86	6.8	6	74	97
Multifamily, 5 or More Units	36	4.4	2	33	39
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for natural gas consumption for mobile homes is 68 thousand cubic feet (cf) and the standard error is 6 thousand cf. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 57 thousand cf to 79 thousand cf.

Household Income

Table 1. Annual Natural Gas Consumption Percentiles by Household Income, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	5th percentile	10th percentile	25th percentile	median	75th percentile	90th percentile	95th percentile
All Households	12	22	43	74	113	154	188
Household Income
Less than 10,000 Dollars	4	7	27	54	87	136	162
10,000 to 14,999 Dollars	7	20	35	64	92	136	161
15,000 to 19,999 Dollars	15	22	36	66	98	145	167
20,000 to 24,999 Dollars	12	21	42	72	110	140	175
25,000 to 34,999 Dollars	12	22	46	75	109	146	175
35,000 to 49,999 Dollars	15	25	47	76	114	161	191
50,000 to 74,999 Dollars	22	37	59	88	123	163	188
More than 75,000 Dollars	18	27	52	92	129	193	226
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The percentiles describe the distribution of household natural gas consumption data; for example, 25% of households with incomes less than 10,000 dollars consumed less than 27 thousand cubic feet (cf) and 75% consumed more than that amount.

Table 2. Mean Annual Natural Gas Consumption by Household Income, 1997 (thousand cubic feet per household)
	Natural Gas Consumption per Household (1,000 cf)	Relative Standard Error (percent)	Standard Errors (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level lower bound (1,000 cf)	95% confidence level upper bound (1,000 cf)
All Households	83	1.8	1	80	86
Household Income
Less than 10,000 Dollars	65	5.2	3	58	71
10,000 to 14,999 Dollars	71	5.0	4	64	78
15,000 to 19,999 Dollars	74	3.4	3	69	79
20,000 to 24,999 Dollars	80	4.1	3	74	87
25,000 to 34,999 Dollars	82	3.8	3	76	88
35,000 to 49,999 Dollars	87	3.4	3	81	93
50,000 to 74,999 Dollars	96	2.9	3	90	101
More than 75,000 Dollars	100	4.5	4	91	109
Graph of data Notes: The data in this table are for households that used natural gas. The standard error is a measure of sampling error and can be used to calculate a confidence range. For example, the estimate for electricity consumption for households with incomes less than 10,000 dollars is 65 thousand cubic feet (cf) and the standard error is 3 thousand cf. The 95% confidence interval is calculated by multiplying 1.96 times the standard error, and the 95% confidence range is 58 thousand cf to 71 thousand cf.