Commercial Building Energy Use on the Rise

According to a new report by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration, energy demand in the commercial building sector grew by 1.0% per year during the 1980s, second only to transportation, which grew at 1.4% per year. In 1989, commercial buildings consumed 5.8 quads of energy (1 quad = 1015 Btus), costing $70 billion.

The top energy users in commercial buildings were space heating 35%, lighting 18%, water heating 9%, office equipment 7%, cooling 5%, and ventilation 5%. Electricity accounted for 50% of the energy used in commercial buildings, but 70% of the