42% of all the energy used in the US is used by Southern States??

[Peacetrain]

Is that true??? because of the need for AC? but that seems outrageous those few states use that much energy

[robodruid1]

1. Source?

[Peacetrain]

2. Someone talking in my ear a few minutes ago

That is why I am asking..

[Hugin]

5. Thumbing through this it appears to be true...

Not sure if it adds up to 42% (excluding California)

https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/chart-of-energy-use-by-state-and-by-source/

[Firestorm49]

3. That doesn't seem so odd.

[BlackSkimmer]

4. With all the water used in dry areas like CA and other western states? Seems unlikely.

What, they don't use AC in those big northern cities?

[Karma13612]

9. Are they only referring to summer time?

In the winter, Northern states use massive quantities of energy to stay warm.

[BlackSkimmer]

16. No kidding, but the OP said it was "just someone in their ear" so I suppose we an take that at

face value.

[Karma13612]

58. I think you are probably right. Grain of salt, etc. eom

[sarisataka]

6. Lots of nuance to that question

If it means yearly use and assuming Southern is everything below San Francisco-St Louis-DC it would be plausible. That would mean 58% is used by the colder, more populous Northern states.

[Hugin]

8. TX is a whopper energy user compared to every State...

[Hermit-The-Prog]

10. I wanna grow up to be Vermont.

[Hugin]

11. ...

:highfive:

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. It looks like Vermont is at 50% or more renewable.

That's to strive for!

[Hugin]

29. RI appears to be powered by...

Toll booths.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

54. This might win a prize. NT

[Hugin]

57. or a good banning.

Depending on where the jury falls.

[Taylor Picker]

12. There's the answer right there.

42% is entirely plausible if Texas is included. Texas alone accounts for about 14% of U.S. energy consumption by my math, about twice as much as the second-highest consuming state, California.

[Karma13612]

13. This needs to be further

Broken down by season.

I’m not saying YOU should, I’m just saying I would want to know the details at a more granular level.

In our cold, rural Northern New York area, a LOT of homes use wood to heat in the winter.
Due to respiratory issues, we use oil. Unless you live in Massena electric, electric heating is crazy expensive up here.

For every area, there are reasons and a back story.

And as an aside, Texas seems to always have the cheapest priced gas, and their state speed limit is like 75 mph. (At least it was back in 2007-2008 when we wintered there). That is just disgusting.

[moonshinegnomie]

20. 85 on some roads

gas isnt the cheapest here but its near the bottom.
less transportation costs since the oil come from here

[Hugin]

24. There are some tools on the website to data sift.

https://alternativeenergy.procon.org/chart-of-energy-use-by-state-and-by-source/

Knock yourself out.

[Karma13612]

59. Thanks!!! If I get on an excel binge, I will!!! LOL!! Eom

[EX500rider]

49. Not sure why that speed limit is disgusting

Have you ever driven across Texas when you cross from the East the first exits like number 1200... Long flat highways that go forever

[Karma13612]

60. We have long stretches of highway

Here in New York state on the NY State Thruway. Gets tedious as well, but going 75-85mph is both dangerous and uses incredible amounts of gas. Not sure if it is still the same, but years ago, it was determined that 50 MPH was the optimal speed to get the best gas mileage.

I know cars are more fuel efficient than years ago, but you are still going to use more gas the faster you go. Or if you are in stop-n-go and low speed city driving. I found this tidbit on a quick google search:

[link:https://afdc.energy.gov/conserve/behavior_techniques.html#:~:text=Speeding%20increases%20fuel%20consumption%20and,miles%20per%20hour%20(mph).|]

We can agree to disagree on this. I understand that Texas is a huge state. I’ve traveled the highways. But if the only reason to allow such high rates of speed is due to wide open spaces and having to travel long distances to get to your destination, then more states would also have higher speed limits. I have looked at the IIHS posted speed limits [link:https://www.iihs.org/topics/speed/speed-limit-laws|] and it seems that Texas is at the top end. Many other states also have long sections of road that would be fine to do 85. And drivers no doubt do until they’re caught. But, it doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do when we are supposed to be thinking of getting away from fossil fuels and using less gas.

Anyway, I see your points. Have a great day!

[SickOfTheOnePct]

63. I don't drive 50

unless the speed limit is 40 or I’m stuck in traffic.

[inthewind21]

64. No comparison

NY State and Texas, no comparison at all. You can drive for 2 days and still not be out of Texas. I take it you've never drove through Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nevada or Montana. Hell Maine is 75. And it's the size of a postage stamp. The majority of the country is 70 and above.

[moonshinegnomie]

69. elpaso is closer to california than the other side of texas.

beaumont is closer to florida than elpaso
going 80-85 in west texas really isnt dangerous at least compared to driving on teh NY thruway or garden state parkway. (i use to live in NY)

its 880 miles from beaumont to elpaso along 10

[sarisataka]

14. If it wasn't for Texas

Southern states would only consume 25% of the energy

Something is broken there....

[Lurker Deluxe]

35. Or ...

It could be the massive oil production. Them refineries run 247 and they are power hungry.

Texas accounts for 43% of the total oil production in the US.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-oil-production-by-state/

[Silent3]

15. That's not adjusted for population. Of course more populous states use more energy

Texas is still clearly an outlier, using far more energy than California (which I pretty sure off the top of my head has a much larger population than Texas).

[moonshinegnomie]

17. not surprising. mostly due to AC i assume

take the second largest population in the country and toss in a climate where its 100 degrees all summer and thats going to mean huge electric use.

[BlackSkimmer]

22. Well, it IS the biggest state, is it not? Other than Alaska?

And of course, Alaska is not as populous.

[moonscape]

50. We have about 10 million more

people in CA but in some coastal areas we don’t need a/c. Doubt there is any place in Texas where that’s the case and their summers are overall hotter and more humid.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

7. Energy Consumption Comparison by State

Energy Consumption Comparison by State

Sources: State Energy Data Report. Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC. Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, Lincoln, NE.

This table was updated on December 8, 2021.

Wait! There's more!

https://www.eia.gov/state/seds/data.php?incfile=/state/seds/sep_sum/html/rank_use_capita.html&sid=US

[Silent3]

19. Thank you for the per capita data

That's the most meaningful comparison.

[Hugin]

26. Sources for the ProCon.org energy website...

Sources:

US Census Bureau, “Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (NST-EST2019-01),” census.gov, Dec. 2019

US Energy Information Administration, “State Energy Consumption Estimates, 1960 through 2018,” eia.gov, June 2020

US Energy Information Administration, “Table C3. Primary Energy Consumption Estimates, 2018 (Trillion Btu),” eia.gov (accessed Aug. 19, 2020)

US Energy Information Administration, “Units and Calculators Explained: British Thermal Units (Btu),” eia.gov, June 4, 2020

They look comparable.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

28. Texas is strange ...

From the 1st link you provide, Texas is the biggest user by far. In the 2nd (per capita), it's 6th for total usage. The per capita chart includes residential (41), commercial (23), industrial (6), transportation (13), and total (6).

What's going on there? Lots of high consumption industry and lots of people making the raw number so big even though the per capita is not outstanding?

[Hugin]

33. I blame incandescent lightbulbs...

lacking any other explanation.

[Lurker Deluxe]

37. Oil and gas production

n/t

[Hugin]

40. That would be an explanation...

Especially, if oil produced in the Gulf of Mexico is credited against TX.

I'm assuming this is the case.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

42. They must have some big'uns.

[Hugin]

44. I submit this as the broken truth...

Photon pollution! Crimminy! Were these people raised in a barn!?!?!

[TheBlackAdder]

38. Besides being wasteful, only thing I can think is they are the primary oil refining state for the US

[Hermit-The-Prog]

43. Takes a lot to drill for it, pump it, transport and crack it, I suppose.

[TheBlackAdder]

45. They aren't a primary supplier, it's just shipped to them to refine and send out to US and export.

.

While they might be #1 or #2 source, most of the oil is shipped into their state to refine.

There are several other refinery locations in the US, but most of it is done in Texas.

I guess Texans like to wallow in pollution.

.

[Lurker Deluxe]

51. .

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-oil-production-by-state/

[Peacetrain]

32. Thank you, thank you.. I just looked up population

and Ca has 10 million more people but uses less energy than Tx... maybe there is something to that 42%

[moonshinegnomie]

68. part of the reason is the climate

pretty much the whole state is 100 degrees all summer.
AC has to run 24 hours a day 4-5 months of the year

[hunter]

52. Residential use is the most interesting figure to me.

States like California and Massachusetts have been ahead of the curve in residential energy standards for decades now, requiring greater insulation and more energy efficient lighting, heating, and air conditioning than states that consider that sort of regulation onerous.

Hawaii uses less energy because the climate is mild and energy costs are high. The fossil fuel power plants in Hawaii burn oil. Gas, where it's available, is synthesized from oil or liquefied petroleum gas. That's expensive too.

[Elessar Zappa]

56. We need to go on a nuclear plant building spree.

That would go a long way to halting climate change.

[hunter]

73. Fortunately nuclear power research didn't come to a complete standstill in the U.S.A..

Otherwise we might end up importing nuclear power plants from China.

[inthewind21]

65. Average

Temp is Hawaii is 95 and humid.

[hunter]

72. Hawaii is like California, it has many climates...

... from wet to dry, from cool to warm.

In Hilo the average high temp is about 81 F and the rainfall is 120 inches.

In Kailua-Kona the average high temps are 84 F and the annual rainfall is 18 inches.

In both place the record high temps are about 95 F.

At higher elevations the climate is cooler than these coastal cities.

In my area of California very few people have air conditioners. Where my brother lives nearly everyone has them.

[Tickle]

21. even in the winter?

I would think the Northeast trying to stay warm would trump the south (no pun intended on trump)

[Demsrule86]

25. The houses in Georgia ( I lived there) are not well insulated. And it gets cold there...twice

my pipes froze which never happened in the North. It can get down in the teens at times and has had snow in recent years. My fuel bills were usually over 300 in the winter...higher with a cold snap. I paid more in utility bills than I did in Connecticut, Wisconsin, and Ohio when I lived in Georgia.

[Tickle]

34. have you been to CT lately

Eversource has this delivery charge and it is typically more than my actual electricity usage. I'm not challenging what you wrote I'm just letting you know how life is here in CT.

i have lived in a few houses with very little insulation and I hated that cold feeling. I hope you are nice and cool today and warm in the winter

[Demsrule86]

67. I live in an old drafty house near Cleveland. We have choice in matters of electric but we to

pay a price for 'delivery' and then for the electricity. ours is between 75 -100...right now it is about 100 as we use our air. The plan is to insulate the porch room and the windows in the fall. but honestly, I paid more in Georgia than I do here which is weird. I have flipped houses with help from my best friend and partner in crime...we do it together and split the costs.

But the house I live in sadly is not done...it is a bungalow built in the '50s by an older couple who in an era of ranches preferred bungalows...it was listed as a ranch but I knew as soon as I saw it what it was...and I found the window in the attic which the barbarians had covered with siding. This year we will take the siding off and it will look great. I would not use electric heat as I have found it very expensive. My first experience was as a young broke wife and mom...with it was I couldn't even turn it on. we heated the house with a fireplace and couldn't afford to run the heat.

[BlackSkimmer]

62. Wow, I've lived in NC a good portion of my life, and I've NEVER had a utility bill that high.

I also keep my heat low, even on cold days, but even here a bit north of you, it's not unusual to have 70 degree days during the winter months.

Pro tip: keep your water dripping on frigid days to avoid frozen pipes.

[Demsrule86]

66. The builder put the pipes high up in the garage. We eventually rerouted the water. We had 70 degree

days in Georgia too...but also had cold.

[Demsrule86]

23. Starting in April or May...you are into the 90's in Georgia and this goes all the way to October...

South Carolina and North Carolina are just as bad...Florida is worse. My AC bills were in the $500's some years.

[TxGuitar]

39. We were in the 100s in May in Houston

And still are in that range. "Summer" doesn't really end here until late October some years and can often creep into November.

[NickB79]

27. California, Texas and Florida account for over 25% of the US population

90 million people total, out of 330 million nationally.

And then there are all the ports, petrochemical and manufacturing facilities.

[mathematic]

30. "few"? The south has the most people

Census puts the south at over 38% of the population.

[GoCubsGo]

31. Assuming this also includes gas/diesel, I'm not surprised.

Loads of pick-ups and other gas-guzzlers down here, no significant public transportation, and spread-out, pedestrian unfriendly towns and cities. A lot of these Southern states are rural, so a whole bunch of it is being used up by agriculture. Most also consider speed limits to be "a suggestion"--something which they ignore. Their lead foot wastes a ton of gas.

But, yeah. Air conditioning plays a huge role in it. It's exacerbated by the fact that so many here cut down their trees, so that they can have a fucking lawn. Then, they replace their black roofs with more black roofs. Consequently, their ACs run 24/7 for months on end. The AC season starts in April, and ends in late October-early November, BTW. Also, a lot of the homes down here, especially the older ones, are poorly insulated. That increases energy consumption even more.

[viva la]

36. Apparently cooling is more "energetic" than heating?

Last edited Thu Jul 21, 2022, 11:35 AM - Edit history (1)

Natural gas is a big heat source in the North. I assume that's counted in these stats?

[TheBlackAdder]

41. Not according to my PSE&G utility bill. I get hammered from Dec10-Mar10. Over 70% of yearly costs.

[viva la]

46. I have natural gas for heat and hot water--

and the winter bills are like that-- $220 a month.

This summer (90 degree heat every day this month) the electric bill will be like that, I fear.

[Act_of_Reparation]

47. The northeast, where most people in the north tend to live...

...has a diverse power grid. My region was powered primarily through hydroelectric; most houses were not equipped with natural gas.

[fescuerescue]

48. Seems like the focus should be on the other half that uses 58%

[Chainfire]

53. I wonder if the South has 42% of the population?

[Elessar Zappa]

55. Probably due to the heat and humidity.

[UTUSN]

70. K& big R#5

[Texasgal]

71. Considering it was 106,0 degrees here

today and after having weeks on end of over 100+ temps, yeah... It's HOT here.