EIA report says US total energy expenditures in 2015 lowest in 11 years
Total expenditures for delivered energy in the United States in 2015 were $1.127 trillion, representing a 20 percent decrease in real terms from the previous year, according to a recent report from the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) State Energy Data System.
Adjusting for inflation, total energy expenditures for that year were the lowest since 2004. As a percentage of the total U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), total energy expenditures were 6.2 percent of GDP, the lowest percentage since 2002.
Forty-five percent of total energy expenditures were spent on the transportation industry, the majority of which went towards fuels for automobiles, rail, aircraft, and ships — a 28 percent decline from the previous year. According to the EIA, the decline in transportation costs was primarily the result of lower fuel prices as energy use in the sector increased by approximately one percent.
Petroleum-based fuels accounted for approximately 97 percent of total transportation consumption throughout the year.
Natural gas prices, in particular, were at their lowest levels since 2002 while petroleum prices were at their lowest level since 2009.
In terms of state-by-state consumption, California consumed the most energy in 2015, accounting for 11 percent of total U.S. energy expenditures. Six percent of California’s total energy consumption went solely to the transportation sector, larger than any states’ share of energy consumption other than the state of Texas.
When accounting for fuel type, Texas led all states with $75 billion in total expenditures while California led all states in natural gas use, consuming a total of $10.7 billion. Georgia spent the most on wood and waste biomass, spending around $600 million, and Pennsylvania spent the most on coal, spending approximately $800 million.
