5 Fascinating Commercial Energy Statistics

The growth of the economy and increased demand for energy continues to push sustainability concerns to the forefront.

Here are some fascinating commercial energy statistics that bring gravity to the issue.

These numbers illustrate how large our energy dependency is and furthermore, how even a small reduction in commercial energy consumption could have an epic impact on the health of our economy and environment.

1. The commercial and industrial sectors of the United States consume over 50 percent of the nation’s total energy.

   The United States required 97.5 quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs) of energy to operate in 2013. That means, 48.75 quadrillion BTUs went directly into fueling these facilities, while the other half was distributed between transportation and residential sectors.

   This statistic indicates our nation’s commercial and industrial sectors place major strain on the country’s power grid, especially during peak periods. Understanding which sectors are making the greatest impact on energy reliability helps determine where the most reform is needed in terms of energy efficiency.

2. The United States spends about $400 billion on energy for commercial and industrial buildings every year.

   Divided between about 6 million commercial and industrial facilities, that means each building spends over $66,000 each year on energy.

3. On average, commercial buildings waste 30% of their energy.

   When applied to the total U.S. cost of energy for commercial and industrial buildings, this means our country wastes $120 million on un-used energy every year.

   This impacts our country’s ability to reach economic goals and furthermore, puts unnecessary stress on the environment. By implementing greater energy efficiency policies, total energy consumption and cost could be dramatically reduced while sustainable energy practices could spur economic growth.

4. Commercial and industrial buildings currently generate 45% of our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

   Greenhouse gasses continuously build up inside the earth’s atmosphere, absorbing infrared radiation and diffusing heat in all directions.

   These emissions have become so saturated within our atmosphere, they are changing the global climate, which impacts agriculture, health, polar and glacier melting, ocean acidification and volume, and ultimately — our economy.

5. Just a 10 percent improvement in the overall energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings would yield major energy cost savings and reductions in CO2 emissions.

   At a 10 percent reduction, our country would save nearly $40 billion each year on energy costs and would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 49 million motor vehicles.

Better energy efficiency is not beyond reach. Even small improvements could have a huge effect on our global footprint, economic prosperity and energy sustainability.

Constellation has a variety of solutions to help companies manage their energy usage, including Efficiency Made Easy, a program that allows them to build the costs of efficiency projects into a power or gas contract.

We also offer flexible financing options that allow companies to guarantee returns from their efficiency projects while avoiding large capital expenses.

To learn more about our options for energy efficiency, contact us today.

(Photo credit: stock image from Flickr.com.)