Energy Consumption in Virginia Homes
The charts and statistics on this page provide information about residential energy consumption in Virginia, including per capita indicators. You can link to the following graphs on this page:
- Sources of heating for Virginia homes
- Residential consumption of natural gas per capita
- Average heating degree days
- Residential consumption of natural gas per capita per heating degree day
- Residential electricity consumption per capita
- Residential electricity consumption per capita per cooling degree day
Energy consumption in homes derives primarily from two sources in the United States: natural gas and electricity. Nationwide, 58% of the approximately 110 million U.S. households heat with natural gas because it is historically the cheapest fuel for home heating. For these homes, natural gas is used for space heating and domestic hot water, and electricity is used for appliances and air conditioning.
The consumption indicators for Virginia homes listed on this page combine the effects of many trends, including an overall increase in energy efficiency in homes in recent years and the steady growth in size of U.S. homes over the last several decades. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the average home size in the United States was 2,330 ft2 in 2004, up from 1,400 ft2 in 1970.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes a detailed summary of energy consumption in U.S. homes every four years. The survey, called the EIA Residential Energy Consumption Survey, covers all energy consumption, including appliances, and is organized by region and by climate (heating and cooling degree days).
Sources of Heating for Virginia Homes
Natural gas is widely available, except in Alaska, Hawaii, and the New England states. However, many rural homes do not have natural gas pipelines nearby, so they heat with other sources such as electricity, propane, heating oil, and increasingly, solar energy.
Source: 2000 U.S. Census
Sources of Heating for Virginia Homes
| Percentage of Virginia homes heating with natural gas | 34% |
|---|---|
| Percentage of U.S. homes heating with natural gas | 51% |
| Percent state rank | 41 |
| Percentage of Virginia homes heating with electricity | 44% |
|---|---|
| Percentage of U.S. homes heating with electricity | 30% |
| Percent state rank | 12 |
Residential Consumption of Natural Gas Per Capita in Virginia
Residential Consumption of Natural Gas Per Capita 1980 - 2005
(million Btu)
The increase of residential natural gas consumption correlates well with population growth over time. The smaller the slope of this curve (more horizontal), the stronger the correlation.
Source: DOE Energy Information Administration (EIA) State Energy Consumption, Price, and Expenditure Estimates (SEDS database). Note that 2005 is the latest year for which state-by-state data are available from EIA.
| Per capita consumption of natural gas in Virginia homes in 2005 (million Btu) |
11.8 |
|---|---|
| U.S. per capita consumption (million Btu) |
16.8 |
| State rank | 37 |
Statewide Average Heating Degree Days for Virginia
Weather directly affects energy consumption in homes, and heating degree days is a climatic statistic that engineers and economics use that reflects the severity and length of the heating season. Heating degree days represent the number of hours over the course of a year that the outside air temperature is below 65°F (then divided by 24 to present in terms of the number of days).
Average Heating Degree Days for Virginia 1980 - 2006
(degrees F - days)
The U.S. Department of Commerce National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) publishes these data for locations where they maintain weather stations. NCDC also averages degree days across the state using population as the normalizing factor. This is accomplished by multiplying the degree days at a particular weather station by the population for that area, adding these numbers together across the entire state, then dividing the sum by the state population.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce NCDC
| Average heating degree days for Virginia in 2006 (degree F - day) |
3,937 |
|---|---|
| State rank | 36 |
Residential Consumption of Natural Gas Per Capita per Statewide Average Heating Degree Day
Residential Consumption of Natural Gas per Capita per Heating Degree Day 1980 - 2005
(Btu per degree day)
In this graph, you can see that natural gas consumption in homes depends on the population size and the climate. The more horizontal the shape of the graph, the stronger the correlation between residential natural gas consumption and population growth in the state.
Source: EIA SEDS database and the U.S. Department of Commerce NCDC
| Virginia residential natural gas consumption per capita per average degree day in 2005 (Btu/degree F-day) |
2,670 |
|---|---|
| U.S. residential natural gas consumption per capita per average degree day in 2005 (Btu/degree F-day) |
3,262 |
| State rank | 37 |
Residential Electricity Consumption Per Capita
Residential Electricity Consumption Per Capita 1980 - 2005
(kWh)
The slope of this curve indicates whether residential electricity consumption is growing faster (upward slope) than population (downward slope) in Virginia. The smaller the slope (more horizontal), the stronger the correlation between residential electricity consumption and population growth.
Source: EIA SEDS database.
| Per capita consumption of electricity in Virginia homes in 2005 (kWh) |
5,909 |
|---|---|
| U.S. per capita consumption of electricity in homes in 2005 (kWh) |
4,594 |
| State rank | 14 |
Residential Consumption of Electricity per Capita per Cooling Degree Day
One of the fastest growing uses for electricity is air conditioning in summer, and the amount of energy required for cooling depends, in part, on climate.
Residential Electricity Consumption per Capita per Cooling Degree Day 1980 - 2006
(kWh / degree F - day)
One measure of the amount of cooling required in a particular location is cooling degree days. The National Climate Data Center publishes statewide average cooling degree days that are based on population, similar to heating degree days.
Source for cooling degree day data: U.S. Department of Commerce National Climate Data Center.
| Average cooling degree days for Virginia in 2006 (degree F-day) |
1,115 |
|---|---|
| State rank | 21 |
| Residential electricity consumption per capita per average annual cooling degree day in Virginia in 2005 (kWh / degree F-day) |
5 |
|---|---|
| U.S. residential electricity consumption per capita per average annual cooling degree day in 2005 (kWh / degree F-day) |
3.8 |
| State rank | 21 |
