What Types of Commercial Buildings Consume the Most Energy?
In addition to taking up a lot of time, running a business can also be quite energy-intensive. An estimated 18% of all energy used in the United States is used by commercial buildings, at a cost of about $190 billion a year. Health care, food services, retail, education, religious services, public safety, and other businesses are housed in these structures.
Commercial facilities are sometimes expected to provide amenities to consumers continually, regardless of the cost, even while residential houses have greater latitude to reduce comfort to save money (imagine turning down the thermostat even in the chilly winter months to save on your heating bill). This can include lights, refrigeration, air conditioning, and heating that use a lot of electricity.
The primary energy sources for commercial buildings are electricity and gas, with electricity accounting for 60% of total energy use and natural gas for 34%. According to a Commercial structures Energy Consumption Survey published in 2022, structures above 100,000 square feet make up just 2% of commercial buildings in the U.S. but account for almost one-third of the total energy consumed across all commercial facilities.
LED Lighting Supply evaluated business buildings by their primary usage to find which ones use the most energy using data from the Energy Information Administration. The data was published in December 2022 and dates back to 2018.
Lighting, cooking, refrigeration, office supplies, computer, space heating, cooling, ventilation, and water heating are among the uses. It is crucial to remember that even though some uses consume the most energy overall because they are common in a particular industry, this does not necessarily mean that they consume the most energy per structure.
#13. Unoccupied Buildings
- 5 billion kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually by empty buildings, or 39 kilowatt-hours per building.
Buildings consume a lot of energy even when they are empty, frequently because systems that are required to make the building operational must be kept operating. An empty structure uses about 40% of its energy production for heating, 20% for cooling, and 10% for lighting. Many businesses discovered that their leases legally required them to keep heating, cooling, and other systems running for a specific number of hours during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when almost all office buildings were left vacant.
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#12. Public safety and order
- Annual energy consumption for maintaining public safety and order is 21 billion kilowatt-hours (263 kilowatt-hours per building).
— Fire station or police station: 7B kWh (122K kWh per structure)
— 5B kilowatt-hours (595K kilowatt-hours per building) for a courthouse or probation office
9B kilowatt-hours (794K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for other public order.
A public order building uses about 35% of its energy for heating, 10% for cooling, 10% for water heating, and 5% for lighting. Particularly in fire stations, the kitchen, gym, laundry room, and other appliances are utilized more frequently than in a regular home to accommodate the 24-hour workforce that is stationed there as needed. The apparatus bays where firetrucks are kept also need a lot of heating. Telephone connections, computer networks, HVAC systems, and other electricity-powered equipment are also left on for longer periods of time in police stations.
#11. Religious worship - 27 billion kilowatt hours of energy are used for religious worship every year (61 kilowatt hours per facility).
It should come as no surprise that the majority of energy used to heat a place of worship is for heating. Since many of these structures are famously old, open, and/or drafty, their insulation is typically subpar. High ceilings frequently allow heat to rise above people, requiring more energy to maintain a pleasant temperature. Many extremely old buildings were constructed using antiquated, inefficient systems.
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#10. Service Centers: 52K kilowatt-hours per facility, 45B kilowatt-hours annually used for service.
— Postal facility: 5 billion kilowatt-hours (145 thousand kilowatt-hours per building)
— 12B kilowatt-hours (44K kilowatt-hours per building) are needed for vehicle maintenance and repair.
— Power consumed for vehicle storage or upkeep: 14 billion kilowatt-hours (38 kilowatt-hours per facility).
14B kilowatt-hours of additional service (71K kilowatt-hours per building)
In comparison to other business sectors, heating accounts for at least 50% of the energy used in a service facility. In addition, lighting accounts for roughly 20% of their energy. Garages and maintenance spaces for automobile service and repair facilities consume a lot of energy, while cooling energy can be reduced by harnessing natural airflow from garage doors in the warmer months. In addition, there is a lot of electricity needed for welding, ventilation, lighting, and power tools. In post offices, improperly closed dock doors where vehicles are loaded can lead to poor insulation, leading to inefficient use of heating systems.
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#9. Sales of food
- 54 billion kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually for food sales, or 329 kilowatt-hours per facility.
— Convenience store: 19B kilowatt-hours (156K kilowatt-hours per structure), with or without gas station.
— Food market or grocery store: 34 billion kilowatt-hours (1.0 million kWh per building)
Buildings that sell food have the highest energy use for refrigeration, at about 40%. Food sales buildings have a higher electrical intensity than natural gas-fired buildings, despite the fact that their overall energy intensity is around the same. Compared to other commercial buildings, these structures frequently operate for longer hours, which increases their energy usage.
#8. The Food Service
- 61 billion kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually for food service (212 kilowatt-hours per structure).
18B kilowatt-hours (260K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for fast food.
— Cafeteria or restaurant: 37 billion kilowatt-hours (214 thousand kilowatt-hours per building)
5B kilowatt-hours (120K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for other food service.
One of the three industries that uses the most energy is the food service sector. It is not unexpected that, at roughly 40%, it outperforms all other commercial enterprises in terms of the amount of energy devoted to cooking. This can include mass-produced food preparation, but not small-scale or individualized preparation like that done in vending machines, coffee makers, or microwaves.
#7. Public Gathering
- Public gatherings utilize 87 billion kilowatt-hours of energy annually (179 kilowatt-hours per building).
7 billion kilowatt-hours (267 thousand kilowatt-hours per building) — Library
— Culture or entertainment: 17 billion kilowatt-hours (246 thousand kilowatt-hours per building)
30B kilowatt-hours (195K kilowatt-hours per structure) are used for recreation.
26B kilowatt-hours (116K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for social or business purposes.
8B kilowatt-hours (397K kilowatt-hours per building) were used for other assembly.
Public assembly buildings use about 20% of their energy for cooling and about 50% for heating. While air conditioning often consumes more energy than ventilation, this may not always be the case in movie theaters. Large displays and loud sound systems use a lot of electricity, but if enough people go to a movie, it can be more energy-efficient than one person viewing by themselves at home.
#6. Public Assembly - The annual energy consumption for public assemblies is 87 billion kilowatt-hours (179 kilowatt-hours per facility).
7 billion kilowatt-hours (267 thousand kilowatt-hours per building) — Library
— Culture or entertainment: 17 billion kilowatt-hours (246 thousand kilowatt-hours per building)
30B kilowatt-hours (195K kilowatt-hours per structure) are used for recreation.
26B kilowatt-hours (116K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for social or business purposes.
8B kilowatt-hours (397K kilowatt-hours per building) were used for other assembly.
Public assembly buildings use about 20% of their energy for cooling and about 50% for heating. While air conditioning often consumes more energy than ventilation, this may not always be the case in movie theaters. Large displays and loud sound systems use a lot of electricity, but if enough people go to a movie, it can be more energy-efficient than one person viewing by themselves at home.
#6. Storage and warehouses
95 billion kilowatt hours (120 kilowatt hours per structure) of energy are used annually for warehouses and storage.
85B kilowatt-hours of non-refrigerated energy (108K kilowatt-hours per structure)
— Refrigerated: 2.8 million kWh per structure, or 10 billion kWh.
Although there are changes depending on whether the facility is refrigerated or non-refrigerated, warehouses typically consume 40% of their energy for heating, 20% for lighting, and 10% for cooling. Produce, seafood, nutritional supplements, vaccines, blood samples, and/or cosmetics are among the perishable or delicate foods and medicines that are kept in refrigerated warehouses. They inherently use a lot of energy for refrigeration, and it is anticipated that their use will increase in the coming years.
#5. Medical Care
- 96B kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually in the health care sector (698K kilowatt-hours per structure).
7.6 million kWh per building for inpatients, 65 billion kWh overall
Outpatient: 238K kilowatt-hours per structure, or 31B kilowatt-hours.
The three most energy-intensive businesses overall—food service, food sales, and inpatient health care facilities—are among the most energy-intensive commercial buildings for heating and ventilation. While outpatient facilities used proportionally more energy for lighting and ventilation, inpatient hospitals used roughly equivalent percentages of energy for heating and cooling.
Heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, and operating medical equipment account for the majority of energy usage in the healthcare industry. The substantial use of HVAC systems is caused by the "strict air quality requirements for hospitals to maintain safety and comfort". Hospitals typically spend more money on lighting and equipment than other industries since they are open around-the-clock.
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#4. Lodging - 100 billion kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually for lodging (484 kilowatt-hours per structure).
— Hotel: 703K kilowatt-hours per building, 46B total.
9B kilowatt-hours (222K kilowatt-hours per structure) for a motel or inn
— Dormitories, fraternities, and sororities: 9B kWh (268K kWh per structure)
— Nursing homes or assisted living facilities: 30B kWh (788K kWh per structure)
6B kilowatt-hours (212K kilowatt-hours per structure) were used for other housing.
About 20% of energy is used by lodging buildings for space heating, 20% for water heating, and a little less for ventilation and cooking. Particularly in the hospitality industry, it is impossible to avoid utilizing energy for almost all amenities, including air conditioning, heating, cooking, lighting, gym equipment, swimming pools, restaurants, bars, elevators, and office equipment.
The amenities offered by nursing homes, motels, and dorms are typically similar, albeit frequently on a smaller size. It is not just one refrigerator or computer operating within a structure, as is usual of residences—it is frequently several working concurrently, exponentially increasing energy demand. This is because multiple people and families are residing in these buildings at the same time.
#3. Instruction
- 128 billion kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually in education (293 kilowatt-hours per structure).
23 billion kilowatt-hours (385 thousand kilowatt-hours per building) for a college or university
K–12: 96 billion kilowatt hours (365 thousand kilowatt hours each building)
— 14B kilowatt-hours (397K kilowatt-hours per building) for multi-grade schools (any K–12).
— Daycare or preschool: 4 billion kilowatt-hours (49 thousand kilowatt-hours per structure)
5B kilowatt-hours (151K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for non-classroom education.
Heating consumed a little over 40% of the energy used in education, and cooling consumed about 10%. Appliances like computers, vending machines, and others are frequently left on all the time. Schools are especially lousy at maintaining energy efficiency because they leave lights on in empty spaces like corridors and classrooms. One Massachusetts school left its building lights on for an entire year and a half.
#2. Merchant
- Annual kilowatt-hour consumption for mercantile usage is 180B (352K kilowatt-hours per building).
— Retail (outside of malls): 71 billion kilowatt-hours (205 thousand kilowatt-hours per building)
109B kilowatt-hours (657K kilowatt-hours per building) were used in enclosed and strip malls.
A quarter of the energy used by commercial buildings goes toward heating, although retail spaces outside of mall contexts typically spend a disproportionately higher percentage of their energy budget on lighting and ventilation. Due to the presence of food courts and other food vendors next to shops, malls need proportionately more energy for cooking, refrigeration, and water heating.
Aside from interior and exterior lighting, other sources of energy use include laptops and tablets used at checkout, water fountains, vending machines, and big neon signs calling you to explore stores and sales.
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#1, offices
227 billion kilowatt-hours of energy are used annually by offices (234 kilowatt-hours per building).
— Business or administrative: 126 billion kilowatt-hours (227 thousand kilowatt-hours per building)
— Bank or other financial institution: 9B kWh (193K kWh per building)
32B kilowatt-hours (251K kilowatt-hours per building) for the government
5B kilowatt-hours (99K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for nondiagnostic medical purposes.
— 50B kilowatt-hours (423K kilowatt-hours per building) for mixed-use
5B kilowatt-hours (69K kilowatt-hours per building) are used for other offices.
Second only to computation-intensive data centers are offices among commercial users of computing systems.
Computers, laptops, monitors, and servers can all be used in this context for computing. Heating, ventilation, and lights consume the most amount of energy in a workplace. Office spaces are constructed with continuous operation in mind, including lighting fixtures, server rooms, and water heaters.
