How U.S. homes use energy
Heating and cooling make up more than half the energy used in U.S. households. Although homes use energy for everything from charging and running electronics (such as phones and computers) to running appliances (such as refrigerators and clothes washers and dryers), controlling indoor temperatures is by far the largest driver of a household’s energy demand.
Where home energy goes:
On average, household energy use breaks down into three categories:
- Heating and air conditioning: Keeping homes warm in the winter and cool in the summer requires the largest share of energy, typically more than half of total household energy use. Air warming and cooling needs vary, depending on climate, weather, home size, and equipment efficiency.
- Water heating, lighting, and refrigeration: These systems operate year-round and make up about one-quarter of total home energy use.
- Appliances and electronics: Everyday devices—such as televisions, computers, game consoles, cooking appliances, washers, and dryers—make up the remaining share of total home energy use.
Factors that affect a home's energy use
Every home is different. The amount of energy your household uses depends on four primary factors:
- Location and climate: Homes in the Northeast and Midwest typically use more energy than those in the South and West due to higher winter heating needs.
- Home type and size: Larger homes require more energy to heat, cool, and light. For example, a single-family detached home uses nearly three times as much energy on average as an apartment in a building with five or more units, where shared walls provide natural insulation.
- Appliance and equipment efficiency: The number, type, and efficiency of energy-consuming devices in the home and the amount of time they are used has a direct effect on consumption.
- Number of household members: More people in a household usually means more hot water, cooking, laundry, and device usage.
Primary sources of home energy use
Three out of four U.S. households rely on two or more energy sources. Electricity and natural gas are the most common energy sources for households.
Common fuel uses at a glance
| Energy source | Typical uses in the home |
|---|---|
| Electricity | Powers all end uses: heating, cooling, lighting, appliances, and electricity generation; homes in the South and mobile homes are most likely to only use electricity for home energy use |
| Natural gas | Home heating, water heating, cooking, and clothes drying |
| Heating oil | Home heating and water heating, primarily in the Northeast |
| Propane (LPG) | Home and water heating, cooking, and clothes drying, primarily in rural areas |
| Kerosene | Home heating |
| Wood and wood pellets | Primary home heating and water heating, primarily in rural areas; supplemental home heating in places across the country |
| Solar | Home and water heating and electricity generation |
| Geothermal | Home heating and cooling and water heating |
Energy use trends per household
Today’s U.S. homes are generally larger, have more consumer electronics, and use air conditioning more often than a typical household did 30 years ago. However, average annual energy use per home has declined. This decline is driven by three key factors:
- Better building construction: Tighter building insulation, better windows, and advanced building materials prevent air leaks and heat loss.
- More efficient equipment: Modern heating and cooling equipment, LED lighting, heat pump water heaters, and energy-efficient appliances consume far less power than older models.
- Population shifts: More households have moved to warmer regions of the country where space heating needs are significantly lower.
Visit our Residential Energy Consumption Survey page to access EIA’s most recent data on U.S. housing characteristics, consumption, and expenditures.