What Are The Top 10 Uses Of Electricity?

Electricity has become an essential part of modern life. We rely on it to power our homes, businesses, industries, and transportation systems. Understanding the major uses of electricity can provide insights into how we consume energy and where opportunities exist to use it more efficiently.

In the U.S., the residential and commercial sectors account for the majority of total electricity consumption (about 40% each). Within those sectors, the 10 leading uses of electricity are lighting, cooling, refrigeration, ventilation, water heating, electronics, space heating, industry, office equipment, and other miscellaneous uses.

By examining these end-uses we can better evaluate our energy usage and identify ways to conserve electricity, save money on utility bills, and reduce environmental impacts. For example, switching to LED lighting, properly insulating buildings, installing efficient appliances, and powering down electronics when not in use offer significant energy savings.

This introduction provides a high-level overview of major electricity uses while setting the stage to dive into the details of the top 10 in the following sections.

1. Lighting

Lighting is one of the biggest users of electricity in homes and businesses. It accounts for around 12% of total electricity consumption in the United States. Lighting includes things like light bulbs, lamps, and fixtures used for illumination.

There are three main sectors for lighting: residential, commercial, and industrial.

In homes, lighting is used in nearly every room. Common residential lighting includes table lamps, ceiling fixtures, chandeliers, wall sconces, under cabinet lighting, and outdoor security lighting. Most households use a mix of incandescent, CFL, and LED bulbs. As LED technology improves and becomes more affordable, residential lighting is shifting more towards LED.

Commercial lighting is used in office buildings, hospitals, schools, restaurants, retail stores, and other business settings. Fluorescent tube lighting has been common in the past, along with halogen and incandescent bulbs. Now, LED lights are quickly becoming the norm in commercial spaces due to energy efficiency and long lifespan. LED strip lighting, recessed panel lighting, and smart lighting controls are popular options.

Industrial facilities utilize high-output lighting for large open spaces like warehouses, manufacturing plants, and stadiums. High-intensity discharge lamps like metal halide, high-pressure sodium, and mercury vapor lamps have traditionally been used. LED fixtures designed for high ceilings are now replacing less efficient industrial lighting.

2. Space Cooling

Air conditioning and fans account for a significant portion of electricity consumption in buildings and homes around the world. This usage falls under the category of space cooling, which refers to any methods that lower air temperature for human comfort. With rising global temperatures, the demand for air conditioning and fans is expected to increase dramatically in coming decades.

Air conditioners are the primary driver of summer peak electricity loads in many regions. These units remove heat from indoor air and reject it outdoors using a refrigeration cycle. Air conditioning is essential for maintaining comfortable temperatures in hot or humid climates, but it comes at a high energy cost. Various strategies like smart thermostats, high-efficiency equipment, and behavior change can reduce air conditioning loads.

Fans also provide space cooling through increased airflow and evaporation. Using fans instead of air conditioning when conditions permit can significantly cut electricity use. Fans range from small units for spot cooling to large overhead fans for warehouses or outdoor areas. Strategic use of fans enables people to stay comfortable at higher temperatures without the complexity of air conditioning systems.

3. Refrigeration

Refrigeration is one of the major uses of electricity in both homes and businesses. Over the past decades, refrigerators and freezers have become ubiquitous in everyday life. Most households in developed countries own at least one refrigerator for storing fresh food and beverages.

Overall, refrigeration accounts for about 15 percent of residential electricity use. Modern refrigerators have become more energy efficient but they still require a constant supply of electricity to maintain low temperatures for food preservation and prevent spoilage.

Commercial refrigeration also consumes a significant share of electricity. Restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, and other businesses rely on large refrigeration units to keep food fresh and frozen. In addition, refrigerated cases and vending machines for cold drinks are major electricity drains. Commercial freezers for storing frozen foods and ice cream also consume large amounts of electricity.

In the food industry, refrigeration is vital for transporting, processing, and storing perishable foods before they reach consumers. Maintaining the proper temperatures requires an extensive infrastructure powered by electricity. From farm to fork, refrigeration enables the safe delivery of chilled and frozen foods around the world.

As the global population and food production grows, demand for refrigeration will continue increasing. Progress in technology can help improve energy efficiency but the fundamental need for cooling food and beverages ensures refrigeration will remain a top electricity use for the foreseeable future.

4. Ventilation

Ventilation accounts for a significant portion of electricity usage in homes, businesses, and industrial facilities. This includes the electricity required to power fans, air circulation systems, and anything else related to regulating indoor air quality and temperature.

In households, ventilation often refers to exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms that remove humidity, odors, and other contaminants from the air. Whole-house fans may also be used to facilitate air exchange between the indoors and outdoors. Central heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have large fans that circulate air throughout buildings.

In commercial and industrial settings, heating, cooling, and ventilation demands are much larger. Powerful ventilation systems constantly replace indoor air to control temperature, humidity, and air quality in factories, warehouses, offices, and more. Strict ventilation requirements in certain facilities also consume major amounts of electricity.

Overall, ventilation represents a significant share of energy consumption worldwide. Improving efficiency of ventilation systems through use of variable speed fans, waste heat recovery, and smart controls offers opportunities to reduce electricity usage.

5. Water Heating

Water heating accounts for about 18% of energy consumption in homes and 6% of energy use in commercial buildings in the United States. Water heating requires a lot of energy because it takes a lot of heat to raise water temperatures. In residential buildings, water heating is typically the second largest use of energy after space heating and cooling.

There are a few main types of water heaters used: storage tank water heaters, tankless water heaters, and hybrid heat pump water heaters. Storage tank water heaters are the most common, where water is heated and stored in an insulated tank. Tankless water heaters heat water directly on demand without a storage tank. Hybrid heat pump water heaters use electricity to move heat from the surrounding air to the water.

Some ways to increase the efficiency of water heating include installing an ENERGY STAR certified model, choosing the appropriate size and fuel type for your needs, using low-flow fixtures, lowering thermostat settings, and insulating hot water pipes. Smart technologies like Wi-Fi connected and solar-powered heaters are also becoming more popular.

6. Electronics

Electronics such as appliances, gadgets, and entertainment systems account for a significant portion of electricity usage in homes and businesses. Common electrical appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers can consume large amounts of energy, especially older or inefficient models. The convenience of gadgets like computers, tablets, and cell phones also comes with an energy cost for powering and recharging them. Entertainment systems like TVs, gaming consoles, and home theater systems are constantly in use in many homes, all requiring electricity.

Recent estimates show that electronics account for about 15-20% of household energy bills in the United States. This includes major appliances, small appliances, lighting, and miscellaneous electric devices. As technology continues to become more embedded in our daily lives, usage of electronics and the energy required to power them will likely continue rising over time unless efficiency improvements can offset those increases.

7. Space Heating

Space heating accounts for a significant portion of electricity usage in most homes. This includes electric heaters, electric furnaces, and heat pumps used to warm living spaces.

Electric resistance heaters work by running an electric current through a heating element, which radiates heat. Portable space heaters can heat a single room, while central electric furnaces heat an entire home. Electric heaters are energy intensive but have a lower upfront cost compared to gas or oil furnaces.

Heat pumps are an energy efficient electric heating and cooling system. They move heat between indoor and outdoor coils to heat or cool a home. Air source heat pumps use outside air, while geothermal heat pumps use underground loops. Though more expensive initially, heat pumps save energy over time.

There are ways to lower electricity usage for space heating. Adding insulation, weatherstripping windows, and maintaining the heating system can all help improve efficiency. Programmable or smart thermostats that adjust temperature when away also reduce energy consumption.

8. Industry

Industry accounts for a significant portion of electricity usage worldwide. This includes electricity used for manufacturing, operating heavy machinery and equipment, and powering industrial facilities.

Electric motors are essential for running industrial machinery and represent a major electricity load. Motors convert electrical energy into mechanical motion to drive pumps, fans, compressors, conveyor belts, and more. Process industries like chemical manufacturing, oil refining, and food processing rely heavily on electric motor systems.

Compressors are also electricity-intensive, using compressed air for industrial applications like pneumatic tools and actuators. Large compressor systems can consume massive amounts of power.

Welding, metal fabrication, casting, stamping, and other manufacturing processes require high electrical inputs. As industrial activity expands globally, industrial electricity consumption continues to grow.

Improving motor and compressor efficiency, upgrading to high-efficiency equipment, and implementing energy management best practices can help optimize electricity use in the industrial sector.

9. Office Equipment

Office equipment represents a significant share of electricity consumption in commercial buildings and offices. The most common office equipment that requires electricity includes computers, printers, phones, fax machines, and other telecommunication devices. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, office equipment accounts for up to 15% of total electricity use in the commercial sector.

Computers are one of the biggest contributors to office equipment electricity use. Desktop computers, laptops, monitors, and data servers can consume 100-1000 watts depending on usage and model. Printers, copiers, and multifunction devices also use 150-1500 watts during active printing and copying. Phones, routers, modems, switches and other telecom equipment draw 10-30 watts individually, which adds up quickly across multiple devices.

Transitioning to Energy Star certified models, enabling power management settings, and switching off equipment when not in use can significantly reduce electricity consumption from office equipment. Simple behavioral changes like unplugging chargers, using online cloud services to minimize local data storage needs, and optimizing print and copy usage also decrease energy demands.

10. Other

Beyond the most common electricity uses in homes and businesses, there are a few other notable ways that electricity is consumed. Electric transportation like electric vehicles and public transportation such as subways and rail rely on electricity to move people from place to place. Streetlights and traffic signals use electricity to illuminate streets and control traffic flow for safety. Agriculture uses electricity for irrigation pumps, lighting in greenhouses, ventilation fans, and operating machinery and equipment. Construction and mining use electricity to operate heavy equipment and tools. Military and national defense have electricity needs for bases, weapons systems, communications equipment, and other operations. While not as sizable as the largest uses of electricity, these other applications nonetheless account for a meaningful amount of electricity consumption.