Domestic energy consumption is the amount of energy that is spent on the different appliances used within housing. The amount of energy used per household varies widely depending on the standard of living of the country, climate, and the age and type of residence.
In the United States as of 2008, in an average household in a temperate climate, the yearly use of household energy can be composed as follows:
| Average domestic energy consumption per household in the United States | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating | 12000 kW·h/yr (1400 watts) | |||
| Hot water | 3000 kW·h/yr (340 watts) | |||
| Cooling/refrigeration | 1200 kW·h/yr (140 watts) | |||
| Lighting | 1200 kW·h/yr (140 watts) | |||
| Washing and drying | 1000 kW·h/yr (110 watts) | |||
| Cooking | 1000 kW·h/yr (110 watts) | |||
| Miscellaneous electric load | 600 kW·h/yr (70 watts) | |||
This equates to an average instantaneous power consumpton of 2 kW at any given time.
Households in different parts of the world will have differing levels of consumption, based on climate and income.
Famous quotes containing the words domestic, energy and/or consumption:
“Foreign policy is really domestic policy with its hat on.”
—Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)
“All my energy and attention were devoted to trying to help her solve her problems. Unfortunately I didn’t have much success.”
—Arthur Miller (b. 1915)
“The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods.”
—Thorstein Veblen (1857–1929)