Space heating and water heating were the top two energy-consuming uses in U.S. homes in 2015, according to EIA’s latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). Space heating consumption can vary considerably by climate and building characteristics, while variation in water heating consumption is driven primarily by the number of occupants in a home.
Household energy consumption varies considerably by the type of home construction. Single-family detached homes accounted for 62% of the occupied residential building stock in 2015, and residents in these homes consumed nearly three times more energy on average than residents living in an apartment building with five or more units. In single-family detached homes, space heating was by far the largest end use at 46% of total consumption. For residents of large apartment buildings, space heating accounted for only 25% of consumption.

Read the full article here