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.
- Page 49: OECD energy balance, 2018
data.worldbank.org › indicator › SP.POP.TOTL
Using data from 2020
OECD countries are: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Page 44 of KWES2020 - inferring from statistic on IEA countries, which mostly overlap with OECD countries
Status quobased on OECD countries, most of which are developed | Status quo, electrifiedall vehicles electric instead of fossil fuels ~ Estimated based on the energy footprint of lithium-ion batteries. |
Minimal consumptionInvolves major personal & social changes: ~ Public transit and walkability ~ Frugalism ~ Abolishing planned obsolescence and code bloat | |
Residential - heating ~ heating indoor air (not water) ~ varies with the weather and local climate ~ energy may be fuel or electricity |
366 W
(calculation loading) |
← same | |
Residential - cooling ~ cooling indoor air (not food refrigeration) ~ varies with the weather and local climate |
69 W
(calculation loading) |
← same | |
Residential - other Entirely electricity - anything used in the home (except for heating/cooling; also does not include charging electric vehicles, as that goes in "transport"). 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! |
176 W
(calculation loading) |
← same | ← same |
Commercial & public This is not split into heating/cooling/misc (unlike for residential) due to lack of more detailed data. Affected by: ~ how often people eat at restaurants ~ government spending |
512 W
(calculation loading) |
← same | |
Industrial - manufacturing & mining Affected by: ~ what people buy, and how much of it |
935 WEstimated in a more complex way, because people in OECD countries consume a lot of goods that were manufactured outside of OECD countries.
(calculation loading) |
(to be calculated) | |
Industrial - other Includes agriculture & construction Affected by: ~ what people eat ~ how much food is wasted by people & businesses |
110 WEstimated from OECD energy usage alone (even though they do import some food), because OECD countries produce enough food crops to feed their local population. [new page needed]
(calculation loading) |
(to be calculated) | |
Transport - passenger cars Includes cars, vans, SUVs and personal trucks. Affected by: ~ how much people drive |
768 W
(calculation loading) |
(to be calculated) | |
Transport - other Includes freight trucks, cargo ships, planes and trains. Affected by: ~ what people buy, and how much of it ~ how often people fly |
549 W
(calculation loading) |
(to be calculated) | |
Total | 3485 W |
All datapoints are cited from Key World Energy Statistics 2020 (IEA report) unless otherwise specified.
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.
- Home electricity is just a small part of this. The best thing people can do is drive less and buy 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.
Purpose
This page is currently incomplete. By finishing it, we can gain insights like:
- How much energy & emissions can be saved by various societal changes:
- Buying less stuff / ending planned obsolescence
- Driving less (walkability or using public transit)
- Wasting less food
- Eating more plant-based
- Making vehicles electric
- If solar was the world's main energy source:
- How many solar panels would there need to be near homes vs near industries?
- How much of the electricity needs to be available 24/7 (requiring energy storage)?
See also
- Energy demand scenarios (an older analysis)