How has energy consumption changed throughout US history?

In-depth analysis

July 3, 2024

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy ReviewData from before 1949 based on Energy in the American Economy, 1850–1975: Its History and Prospects and U.S. Department of Agriculture Circular No. 641, Firewood Used in the United States 1630–1930
Note: The data uses an approach that takes into account wind, water, solar and geothermal energy.

We estimate that 94 trillion British thermal units (squares) will be used in the United States in 2023, down 1% from 2022. Monthly Energy Review. Fossil fuels—oil, natural gas, and coal—accounted for nearly 83% of total U.S. energy use in 2023. Nonfossil fuel energy—renewables and nuclear—made up the remaining 17%. In 2023, oil remained the most consumed fuel in the United States, as it has for the past 73 years, and renewables surpassed coal for the first time in about 140 years.

How has energy consumption changed throughout US history?

When the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, wood, a renewable energy source, was the largest source of energy in the United States. Wood, used for heating, cooking, and lighting, remained the largest source of energy in the United States until the late 19th century, when coal overtook it.

The early use of water to power milling, lumbering, and other milling operations is not well quantified and is not included in our data, but such mills were common throughout the early history of the United States. The first industrial use of water power to generate electricity in the United States was to power lamps in a chair factory in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1880. The world’s first hydroelectric power plant to sell electricity to the public opened on the Fox River near Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1882.

Renewable energy did not become a major part of U.S. energy again until recently. Biofuels became the most consumed renewable energy source in the U.S. in 2016, surpassing wood. In the 1980s, the United States began using more ethanol blended with motor gasoline, and later biodiesel and renewable diesel blended with diesel. Renewable diesel can be used as a substitute for diesel, while chemical differences limit the amount of biodiesel that can be blended with diesel. U.S. renewable diesel surpassed biodiesel use for the first time in 2022.

Electricity generation from zero-emission sources like wind and solar has grown rapidly in recent years. In 2022, renewable energy use in the U.S. will surpass nuclear energy use for the first time since 1984. Nuclear energy use in the U.S. began in the late 1950s and has remained fairly steady since the early 2000s.

Coal was the largest source of energy in the United States for about 65 years, from 1885 until 1950, when it was surpassed by oil. Early uses for coal included many purposes that are no longer common, such as home heating furnaces and engines for railroads and boats. Since the 1960s, almost all coal used in the United States has been used to generate electricity.

Petroleum remains the most consumed energy source in the United States, as it has been since 1950. Petroleum products, such as motor gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, and propane, are widely used in every sector of the modern U.S. economy, from transportation to industrial chemicals and plastics.

Natural gas is the second-largest source of energy use in the U.S., as it has been for most years since it surpassed coal in 1958. Natural gas was once seen as a byproduct of oil production but has become a common source of energy used for heating and electricity. Partly because of recent advances in U.S. drilling technology, the availability of natural gas in the United States has exploded, and its consumption nearly surpassed that of oil in 2020, when the effects of the Covid pandemic reduced the amount of energy used for transportation.

How will US energy consumption change in 2023?

Renewable energy use in the United States rose 2% from 2022 to a record 8.2 quadrillion in 2023, largely due to increased use of biofuels in transportation and solar power for electricity. In 2023, U.S. wind energy use fell for the first time in 25 years.

Coal use will fall to 8.2 quadrillion in 2023, its lowest since about 1900. U.S. coal use has fallen by more than half since its peak in 2005, largely because of less use of coal to generate electricity.

Nuclear energy consumption totaled 8.1 quadrillion in 2023, a slight increase compared to 2022. The slight increase was mainly due to the start-up in July 2023 of the new Vogtle Unit 3 reactor in Georgia.

Oil consumption in the United States remained below its 2005 peak, reaching 35.4 quadrillion in 2023. Most of the oil-based energy was used for transportation. Although the use of electric vehicles has increased, oil remains the dominant fuel for cars, trucks, and airplanes.

U.S. natural gas consumption reached a record 33.6 quadrillion in 2023, largely due to increased electricity consumption. More natural gas has been used in the U.S. electricity sector than in any other sector of the economy each year since 2018.

How can we compare different types of energy?

To compare energy from different sources and sectors we use a common unit of heat, called British Thermal Units.

From the publication of 2023 data, we have changed our approach to converting electricity generated from non-combustible renewable energy sources into British Thermal Units, which has changed our assessment of when renewable energy consumption will exceed coal consumption.

Under approach to energy acquisition we currently use, U.S. renewable energy use will overtake coal use in 2023 for the first time since about 1885. According to our previous fossil fuel equivalence approachIn 2019, renewable energy overtook coal.

Main co-authors: Mickey Francis, Owen Comstock