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Facts and Stats

In 2012 alone, American families and businesses have saved $24 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from 41 million vehicles. To date, more than 1.4 million new homes and 20,000 buildings and plants have earned the ENERGY STAR. Americans purchased about 300 million ENERGY STAR certified products in 2012 across more than 65 product categories for a cumulative total of more than 4.5 billion products since 1993.

ENERGY STAR for commercial and industrial facilities (as of year-end 2012)

  • Created in: 1992
  • Administered by: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • ENERGY STAR partner organizations: More than 5,800
    • Percent of the FORTUNE 500®: 35 percent
  • ENERGY STAR certified buildings and plants: More than 20,000
  • Commercial buildings actively measuring and tracking their energy use: More than 300,000
    • In square footage: More than 30 billion
    • Percentage of the commercial buildings market: More than 40 percent
  • Commercial buildings that have certified as ENERGY STAR: More than 20,000
    • Certified commercial square footage: More than 3 billion
    • Cumulative cost savings: $2.7 billion
    • Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions prevented: More than 14 million MtCO2e
    • That’s equal to: The electric use of more than 2 million homes annually
  • Commercial building design projects that are “Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR”: More than 450
    • Projected cost savings: More than $55 million
    • Projected greenhouse gas emissions savings: Nearly 500,000 MtCO2e
    • That’s equal to: The electric use of more than 70,000 homes annually
  • Industrial plants that have been certified as ENERGY STAR: More than 120
    • Cumulative cost savings: More than $200 million
    • Cumulative greenhouse gas emissions prevented: Nearly 25 million MtCO2e
    • That’s equal to: The electric use of more than 3.7 million homes annually

Energy use in commercial and industrial facilities

  • Combined number of commercial buildings and industrial facilities in the United States: over 5 million1
    • Number of U.S. commercial buildings: 4.8 million
    • Number of U.S. industrial facilities: 350,000
  • Combined annual energy costs for U.S. commercial buildings and industrial facilities: $202.3 billion2
    • Annual energy costs for U.S. commercial buildings: $107.9 billion
    • Annual energy costs for U.S. industrial facilities: $94.4 billion
  • Portion of energy in buildings used inefficiently or unnecessarily:30 percent3
  • Combined percentage of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions generated by commercial buildings and industrial facilities: 45 percent4
    • U.S. greenhouse gas emissions generated by commercial buildings: 17 percent
    • U.S. greenhouse gas emissions generated by industrial facilities: 28 percent
  • If the energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings improved by 10 percent, the collected savings would be:
    • Amount of money: $20 billion5
    • Amount of greenhouse gas emissions prevented: equal to the emissions from about 30 million vehicles6 – or the number of registered automobiles in Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas combined7

Global energy and climate

  • The approximate energy released in the burning of a wood match: 1 Btu8
  • Total energy used in the U.S. each year: 99.89 quadrillion Btu9
  • Portion of U.S. annual energy use created by the combustion of fossil fuels: 86 percent10
  • Amount of global carbon dioxide (CO2) released into the atmosphere in 2005: 6,000 million metric tons11
  • U.S. contribution of global greenhouse gas emissions: about 20 percent12
  • U.S. population relative to the world: 5 percent13
  • Amount greenhouse gas emissions have increased between 1970 and 2004: 70 percent14
  • Period of time in which 11 of the 12 warmest years on record have occurred: 1995 to 200615

 

Sources
1 Energy Information Administration. "2003 CBECS Detailed Tables. Building Characteristics Tables for All Buildings (Including Malls), table A1." December 2006. 1 June 2007 . Energy Information Administration. "2002 Energy Consumption by Manufacturers--Data Tables. Table 9.1 - Enclosed Floorspace and Number of Establishment Buildings." 8 March 2005. 1 June 2007 .

2 Energy Information Administration. "2003 CBECS Detailed Tables. Table C4A. Expenditures for Sum of Major Fuels for All Buildings, 2003." December 2006. 1 June 2007 . Energy Information Administration. "2002 Energy Consumption by Manufacturers--Data Tables. Table 7.9 Expenditures for Purchased Energy Sources, 2002." 2002. 1 June 2007 .

3 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR program. "Useful Facts and Figures." No date referenced. 1 June 2007 .

4 Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas and Sinks: 1990-2005. "USEPA #430-R-07-002, Table 2-16: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector and Gas with Electricity-Related Emissions." April 2007. 14 June 2007 .

5 Energy Information Administration. "2003 CBECS Detailed Tables. Table C4A. Expenditures for Sum of Major Fuels for All Buildings, 2003." December 2006. 1 June 2007 . Energy Information Administration. "2002 Energy Consumption by Manufacturers--Data Tables. Table 7.9 Expenditures for Purchased Energy Sources, 2002." 2002. 1 June 2007 .

6 Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas and Sinks: 1990-2005. "USEPA #430-R-07-002, Table 2-16: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector and Gas with Electricity-Related Emissions." April 2007. 14 June 2007 . From Table 2-16 US Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector (CPPD Approved Source) Commercial Total CO2 = 1024.98 mmt Industrial - Electricity Related Only CO2 = 679.7 mmt Total CO2 = 1704.68 mmt Using US Climate Technology Cooperation Gateway Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator (CPPD Approved Source/Calculator) 1704.68 Million Metric Tons CO2 = 304,951,699 vehicles; 10% reduction for Challenge = approximately 30 million vehicles (Source: EPA).

7 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. "State Motor-Vehicle Registrations - 2005." October 2006. 1 June 2007 . Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Texas add up to 29,951,758 registered vehicles.

8 Energy Information Administration. "Apples, Oranges, and BTU." June 2006. 1 June 2007.

9 Energy Information Administration. "Energy Overview." Annual Energy Review. Table 1.1. 2005. 1 June 2007 .

10 Ibid. Total consumption is 99.89 Quadrillion Btu, Fossil Fuel Consumption is 85.96 Quadrillion Btu. Percent from fossil fuel is 85.96/99.89 = 86%.

11 Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas and Sinks: 1990-2005. "USEPA #430-R-07-002, Table 2-16: U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector and Gas with Electricity-Related Emissions.". April 2007. 14 June 2007 .

12 World Resources Institute. "Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT)." 2007. 14 June 2007 http://cait.wri.org/cait.php?page=yearly>. U.S. is listed at 5,912 for 2004, while the world is listed at 27,043. Percentage for U.S.: 5,912/27,043 = 21.86%.

13 U.S. Census Bureau. "U.S. and World Population Clocks - POPClocks." 22 November 2006. 25 May 2007 . The U.S. is at 20.38% of world total.

14 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. Summary for Policymakers, section B.

15 IPCC, 2007: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA. FAQ 3.1.