Energy as Share of Total U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditure

• Date: 01 March 2017

3-2017 NEWS & ANALYSIS 47 ELR 10183

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Source: B N E  F    B C   S E (Feb. 2017), http://www.bcse.

org/sustainableenergy factbook/.

Energy as Share of Total U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditure

Electricity and natural gas as a share of

total consumption expenditure

•฀ Americans are d edicating less of their house hold spending to energy th an at any other time on record: ene rgy consumption as a share

of total consu mption expenditures averaged 3 .9 % in 2016, t he f‌irst year in which this measu re came in below 4% since the Bure au of

Economic Anal ysis began reporting dat a in 1959.

•฀ Consumption co sts for natural gas and elec tricity ref‌lect a similar tr end: natural gas repres ented under 0.4% of total spe nding, and

electricit y came in at 1.4%, both th e lowest totals on record.

•฀ The falloff s pending is likely a result of falling f uel costs as well as energy ef f‌iciency measures.

Notes: Value s for the fourth quarter of 2 016 are prelim inary.

Total energy goods and services as a share

of total consumption expenditure

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