U.S. Records Biggest Energy Drop On Record: 7% In 2020

U.S. Records Biggest Energy Drop On Record: 7% In 2020

Share to Linkedin Energy consumption in the U. S. last year was 7% lower than in 2019“”in what was the biggest yearly drop on record, according to the Energy Department“”but that big decline could quickly reverse as the coronavirus pandemic comes to an end and Americans resume normal life. Despite drops in 2020, carbon emissions are already back on the rise, according to the International ... [+] Energy Agency. By far the biggest decline came from the transportation sector, where energy usage plummeted 15% and reached its lowest level since the 1990s. Jet fuel usage dropped by 38% during 2020, and motor gasoline by 13%“”numbers the Energy Department largely attributed to travel restrictions. Closed offices led to a commercial energy drop of 7%, while industrial usage dropped by 5% as demand lessened for products like oil and natural gas. Even though many people were spending more time than ever in their homes, residential usage dropped by 1%“”the result of a "relatively warm year," according to the Energy Department. "Much of the 2020 decrease in energy use is attributable to economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in the United States during the spring of 2020," the Energy Department said