World energy consumption – Transportation, Industry, Residential

Energy sources are not only consumed in power plants. Industry, transportation, and the residential sector consume even more primary resources than electricity generation.

• The industrial sector is the largest end-use sector in the United States, accounting for 36% in 2020. In 1950, the U.S. industrial sector consumed more coal than any other fuel (40%), but in 2018, coal accounted for just 4% of industrial use. Natural gas is now the most-used fuel in the U.S. industrial sector, accounting for 41% of the industrial total.
• The transportation sector accounted for 35% of energy consumption in 2020. Most energy used for transportation comes from petroleum, but transportation fuels now include natural gas (CNG) or renewable biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
• The residential sector includes homes and apartments, and the commercial sector includes offices, malls, stores, schools, hospitals, etc. In 2018, the U.S. residential sector consumed natural gas (43%) and electricity (42%) in nearly equal shares. Similarly, the U.S. commercial sector’s 2018 energy consumption was mostly natural gas (38%) and electricity (50%).