Have you ever wondered about your average energy consumption, such as what your energy footprint is in a single day? What about a week, a month, or even a year? How much waste or energy does your family consume? If you knew, would you be interested in changing your patterns? If you live in New York, are the winter month’s utility bills more than just an expensive financial obligation? If you live in Arizona, is your water usage vital to your quality of life?

The graphic below is provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The images depict the average American’s annual energy consumption.

The Average Americans Annual Energy Consumption 

What are your thoughts? Does seeing this picture make you want to install compact fluorescent light bulbs in your home? I was surprised that water heating was such a high percentage of annual energy consumption. It makes me want to lower the dial on my water heater and install a low-flow showerhead.

Do that many people use space heaters? Yikes. I’ll have to share this information with some of our employees who constantly feel cold! It’s incredible that the space heating figure exceeds that of air conditioning and water heating, which you would think are more common. So perhaps that section doesn’t literally mean individual space heater units but more like residential heating systems.

I don’t know about you, but I take more than one round-trip flight per year, so my pie chart would be different. What would yours look like?

If you are interested in learning more about carbon accounting or sustainability, call us today at (800) 460-2575 or visit our course catalog! Our ISSP Sustainability Associate and LEED Green Associate training courses address societal and environmental concerns, paired with sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for our homes and workplaces.