Energy demand

This page is an attempt to estimate how much energy it takes to sustain a reasonable quality of life in a developed country.

Tables

Energy units: W (watts per capita, averaged over time. This is not the same as peak watts). (example)Suppose an electric car charger operates at 4800 watts, but the car is only charging for 2 hours per day on average. So the wattage averaged over time is 400 watts. Also note: If a family of 2 people owns 1 of these cars, then that's 200 watts per capita.

• Non-electric energy usage (fuel) is still measured in watts, this same way, for the sake of comparison.

	Status quo[''']based on OECD countries, most of which are developed	Status quo, electrified[''']all vehicles electric instead of fossil fuels ~ Estimated based on the energy footprint of lithium-ion batteries.	Minimal consumption[''']Involves major personal & social changes: ~ Public transit and walkability ~ Frugalism ~ Abolishing planned obsolescence and code bloat
Residential - heating [''']varies with the weather and local climate
Residential - hot water
Residential - cooling [''']varies with the weather and local climate
Residential - other [''']Electricity that isn't used for heating, hot water or cooling. A lot of websites that teach you how to "save energy" are centered on this. But as you can see, it's actually quite a small part of energy demand!
Commercial [''']This is not split into heating/cooling/misc (unlike for residential) due to lack of more detailed data.
Industrial [''']Almost all of this is manufacturing. Other industrial processes include agriculture & mining (surprisingly minor in terms of energy use).
Transportation [''']Includes passenger vehicles, freight trucks, and to a lesser extent: trains, planes and ships

Note on reducing environmental impacts

• When it comes to climate change: Energy usage is the main culprit.
  • Home electricity is just a small part of this. The best thing people can do is drive less and buy less.
    • Note: This is targeted at the average person who lives in a developed country. If you are poor, you probably don't need to consume less. 
• When it comes to habitat loss: Land usage is the main culprit.
  • The best thing people can do is eat more plant-based and waste less food.

See also

• Energy demand scenarios (an older analysis)