America’s Total Energy Use Dropped in 2008

[cwerdna]

Wasn't sure if this should go here or FHOP.

Wow: America?s Total Energy Use Dropped in 2008 | GOOD

[TonyPSchaefer]

I would like to see more proof into WHY the energy consumption went down.

The reason I ask is that I read a couple articles last year. One said that air pollution in the United States had dropped. The other said that more and more manufacturing work was being done in China. A third said that China is building a new coal-fired power plant every week for an expected five years. Linking those three articles tells me that we cleaned our air by sending manufacturing overseas where they are creating their own pollution.

So I want to know that this drop in consumption was driven by a conscious choice to consumption rather than the outsourcing of consumption.

[Politburo]

I think we're just talking CO2 emissions. That was the only data I could find for 2008.. it's still early in 2009 to have reliable emission inventories based on actual operations. It's likely that they just took the amount of fuel sold/produced and assumed all carbon was emitted.

Certainly some pollution was outsourced to China, but I'd guess that fuel costs were the largest driver of emission reductions, along with the recession. I wouldn't consider that as a conscious choice to reduce consumption.

[fuzzy1]

... So I want to know that this drop in consumption was driven by a conscious choice to consumption rather than the outsourcing of consumption.

No proof in hand, but I must agree Politburo. This reduction was driven more by recession and the oil price spike than by any deliberate choice of conservation or outsourcing.

[chogan2]

That's from the DOE annual energy review. Certainly the recession should introduce a dip, which might depress the totals when imposed on the long-term upward trend.

If you look at the most recent monthly energy review, we used more energy in the 1st four months of 2009 than we did in the similar period in 2008. That suggests the year-on-year 2008 over 20007 was just a blip.

The data are at the bottom right-hand corner, table 1.1, here:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mer/pdf/mer.pdf

I know I've seen the graph showing how, historically, recessions temporarily curbed US C02 output growth. Can't seem to find it now.

[Shawn Clark]

Transportation energy use is way down due to recession. A considerable part of that seems to be reduced freight and that was reflected in the dip in diesel cost below gasoline for a time.

When industry isn't producing (and capacity utilization is abysmal) there is both less manufacturing energy demand and less transport demand.

Recession has historically reduced or flattened energy demand growth.

On the other hand, there is wide movement toward greater energy efficiency and it is going to add up over the years. Installed bases of less efficient gear are large, so nothing will move rapidly. I've cut out about ~8,000 kwh/year in the past year of my own consumption compared to my previous home...or ~16,000 kwh/year compared to the previous owner of this one.