| Regional Energy Profile |
| EAST SOUTH CENTRAL APPLIANCE REPORT 2001 |
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Return to Regional Energy Profiles Return to Appliance Reports Subscribe to Our Listserv for Notice of New Products CONTENTS OF THIS REPORT Air-Conditioning Electric Appliances Gas Appliances U.S. Data Table East South Central Data Table LINKS TO RELATED DATA PRODUCTS East South Central Residential Energy Map East South Central Renewable Potential Map Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 Regional Energy Data Sources U.S. Census Regions and Divisions Map East South Central State Pages: Alabama Kentucky Mississippi Tennessee |
The East South Central Division, located in the central part of the southern United States, comprises 7 million households in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. It has the highest level of precipitation of any U.S. Census Division. Annual precipitation averages 55 inches, considerably above the U.S. average of 30 inches. Year-round temperatures in the East South Central States are higher than the national average. Summers are, on average, about 31 percent hotter than the U.S. average,1 which tends to increase the demand for energy for air-conditioning. On the other hand, winters are about 22 percent warmer than the U.S. average, which tends to reduce the demand for energy for space and water heating. Households in the East South Central States consumed 0.56 quadrillion Btu of energy in 1997 (the most recent year for which data are available). That consumption accounted for about 5 percent of the nationwide total of 10.2 quadrillion Btu. About 31 percent of household energy consumed in the United States as a whole was used to operate appliances (including refrigerators) and to run electric air-conditioning. In the East South Central States, about 43 percent of household energy was used for that purpose. The higher share of energy consumption devoted to appliances and air-conditioning in the East South Central States is attributable to the lower demand for space and water heating typical of a warmer climate. Electric appliances are more common in the East South Central States than in the United States as a whole, whereas appliances that operate on natural gas or LPG are less common. Nationwide, 73 percent of households have natural gas available in the neighborhood, compared with only 56 percent of households in the East South Central States. |
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AIR-CONDITIONING Although the East South Central States have the coolest summers in the South, space cooling requirements are still substantially higher than in the rest of the country. As would be expected, air-conditioning is more prevalent in the East South Central States than in the United States as a whole. In all U.S. households, the prevalence of air-conditioning increased significantly from 57 percent of households in 1980 to 77 percent of households in 2001 (U.S. Data Table). Over the same period, the prevalence of air-conditioning in East South Central households increased from 79 percent in 1980 to 94 percent in 2001 (East South Central Data Table). In East South Central households, central air-conditioning was dominant. By 2001, 74 percent of households had central air-conditioning, while just 20 percent had room units only. (Households with both central air-conditioning and room units are counted as "central.") By comparison, 55 percent of U.S. households overall had central air-conditioning in 2001 and 23 percent had room units only. ELECTRIC APPLIANCES Air-conditioners both cool and dehumidify indoor air, so it is not surprising that evaporative coolers and dehumidifiers are in less demand in the South, where the incidence of air-conditioners is higher. In 2001, less than 0.5 percent of East South Central households had evaporative coolers, compared with 3 percent of U.S. households. Similarly, 8 percent of East South Central households had dehumidifiers, compared with 11 percent nationwide. East South Central households also were less likely to have personal computers. Personal computers (as well as televisions) differ from the other appliances in the EIA survey in that they are primarily electronic equipment. First surveyed in 1990, the market share of personal computers has shown remarkable growth nationwide. Of all U.S. households in 1990, 16 percent had computers; by 2001, the share was 56 percent. In the East South Central States, the share of households with computers grew from 12 percent in 1990 to 47 percent in 2001. Some of the most common major appliances were more frequently found in East South Central households than in U.S. households on average. Clothes washers, clothes dryers, and ranges are good examples. Clothes washers were found in 87 percent of East South Central households and 79 percent of U.S. households in 2001. Clothes dryers were found in 77 percent of East South Central, compared with 57 percent of U.S. households. Throughout the period, ranges were more frequently found in East South Central homes and, by 2001, 76 percent of East South Central households had electric ranges, compared with 60 percent of U.S. households. One reason for the higher-than-average market shares of electric dryers compared with gas dryers and electric ranges compared with gas ranges may be that natural gas is less readily available to households in the East South Central States. GAS APPLIANCES "Gas appliances" are appliances that use natural gas or, less frequently, liquefied petroleum gases (LPG). Compared with other parts of the United States, there is a greater reliance on electricity for space heating in the East South Central States, and 44 percent of households in the East South Central States do not have natural gas available in the neighborhood . It is not surprising, therefore, that the market share of gas appliances in the East South Central States is much lower than in the United States as a whole. Gas clothes dryers, for example, were found in 17 percent of U.S. households in 2001 but in only 5 percent of East South Central households. Similarly, gas ranges were found in 39 percent of U.S. households but in only 24 percent of East South Central households. ________________ 1The seasonal temperature differences are calculated using degree-day data. A "degree-day" is a unit of measure of outdoor air temperature relative to a standard temperature. |