This dashboard showcases information on residential and commercial buildings in the U.S., relying on survey data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Data shown is based on smaller samples of buildings that were selected to represent a proportion of total buildings in the U.S. The survey data is currently reported based off the U.S. Census Division, and is not available at the state level. There have been indications that future surveys will have more geographic granularity. Click here for more information about the residential survey and here for the commercial survey.

To read more about our methodology click here.

Methodology

The U.S. Energy Information Administration conducts studies of the country’s commercial and residential building stock using a representative sample survey of buildings combined with data from energy suppliers. Atlas relies on the publicly available microdata released by EIA to construct the Building Characteristics dashboard. The Residential Buildings tab uses the Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), while the Commercial Buildings tab uses the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS). The dashboard showcases the 2005, 2009, and 2015 Residential Energy Consumption Surveys and the 2012 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey. The 2018 Commercial survey will be added as soon as microdata is made available.

The Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) is a periodic study conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) that provides detailed information about energy usage in U.S. homes. RECS is conducted in two phases: phase one is a multi-stage sampled Household Survey that collects energy-related characteristics and usage patterns from a nationally representative sample of housing units. Phase two is the Energy Supplier Survey (ESS), which collects billing data for responding households from their utility suppliers to allow EIA to estimate energy consumption and expenditures. Taken together, the housing characteristics data and the billing data are the basis for individual energy end-use consumption and expenditures estimates.

From: https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/about.php

The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) is a national sample survey that collects information on the stock of U.S. commercial buildings, including their energy-related building characteristics and energy usage data (consumption and expenditures). Commercial buildings include all buildings in which at least half of the floorspace is used for a purpose that is not residential, industrial, or agricultural. By this definition, CBECS includes building types that might not traditionally be considered commercial, such as schools, hospitals, correctional institutions, and buildings used for religious worship, in addition to traditional commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, warehouses, and office buildings.

CBECS is conducted in two phases. Phase 1 is the Buildings Survey, which collects building characteristics (such as building size and use, structural characteristics, energy sources and uses, and energy-using equipment) and energy usage data (annual consumption and costs) from a respondent at the building, either by an interviewer or using a web questionnaire. Phase 2 is the Energy Supplier Survey (ESS), which is a follow-up survey of the energy providers for buildings that responded in Phase 1. Providers of electricity, natural gas, heating oil (which includes fuel oil, kerosene, and diesel), and district heat (steam or hot water) supply monthly energy usage data for each building. The energy data are collected using a secure website that offers several reporting options designed to minimize reporting burden.

From: https://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/about.php

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