| Regional Energy Profile |
| SOUTH ATLANTIC 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 and Kerosene Appliances U.S. Data Table South Atlantic Data Table LINKS TO RELATED DATA PRODUCTS South Atlantic Residential Energy Map South Atlantic Renewable Potential Map Residential Energy Consumption Survey 2001 Regional Energy Data Sources U.S. Census Regions and Divisions Map South Atlantic State Pages: Delaware Florida Georgia Maryland North Carolina South Carolina Virginia West Virginia |
The South Atlantic Census Division is located on the southeastern seaboard of the United States. It consists of eight States (Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia) and Washington, DC. The climate of the South Atlantic is wetter and hotter than the U.S. average. Annual precipitation averages 49 inches, considerably above the U.S. average of 30 inches. Summers are, on average, about 61 percent hotter than the U.S. average.1 Hot, humid summers in the South Atlantic States increase the demand for air-conditioning, an energy-intensive activity. On the other hand, winters are much milder than the national average, meaning that space- and water-heating requirements are lower than average. The 20 million households in the South Atlantic States consumed about 14 percent of nationwide household energy consumption -- 1.4 quadrillion Btu out of a total of 10.2 quadrillion Btu in 1997 (the most recent year for which data are available). 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 South Atlantic, about 46 percent of household energy was used for that purpose. The higher share of energy consumption devoted to appliances and air-conditioning in the South Atlantic is attributable to the warmer climate, which reduces demand for space and water heating. Electric appliances are much more common in the South Atlantic States than in the United States as a whole, and the difference became more pronounced from 1980 through 2001. The national trend toward more household appliances in newer homes has been exaggerated in the South, where population growth has been greater than the national average. Appliances that operate on natural gas or LPG, on the other hand, are less common in the South Atlantic than nationally. Natural gas availability is limited in many areas of the South Atlantic. Nationwide, 3 out of 4 households have natural gas available in the neighborhood, compared with only 2 out of 4 households in the South Atlantic. |
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AIR-CONDITIONING Because of the hot, humid summers in many areas of the South Atlantic States, air-conditioning was more prevalent in the South Atlantic than in the United States as a whole throughout the 1980-2001 period. 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 South Atlantic households also increased, from 68 percent in 1980 to 95 percent in 2001 (South Atlantic Data Table). In 2001, only the West South Central Division had a greater prevalence of air-conditioning (98 percent of households). In South Atlantic households, central air-conditioning was dominant. By 2001, 81 percent of households had central air-conditioning, while just 14 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 Atlantic States, where the incidence of air-conditioners is higher. In 2001, less than 0.5 percent of South Atlantic households had evaporative coolers, compared with 3 percent of U.S. households. Similarly, only 6 percent of South Atlantic households had dehumidifiers, compared with 11 percent nationwide. But for the most part, households in the South Atlantic States were more likely to have a given electric appliance than were U.S. households as a whole. Of the kitchen appliances, one of the best examples is the electric range. Electric ranges became more prevalent both in the South Atlantic and nationwide from 1980 through 2001. Throughout the period, ranges were more frequent in South Atlantic homes. By 2001, 74 percent of South Atlantic households had electric ranges, compared with 60 percent of U.S. households. One reason for the greater market share of electric ranges, compared with gas ranges, may be that natural gas is less readily available to many households in the South Atlantic. Dishwashers also increased in prevalence throughout the 1980-2001 period and, in the 1990s and 2001, they were found more frequently in South Atlantic kitchens than in U.S. kitchens on average. By 2001, 58 percent of South Atlantic households had dishwashers, compared with 53 percent of U.S. households. The market shares of utility appliances also increased from 1980 through 2001, and utility appliances remained more common in the South Atlantic States than nationwide. In 2001, clothes washers were found in 85 percent of South Atlantic households and 79 percent of U.S. households. Clothes dryers were found in 69 percent of South Atlantic households, compared with 57 percent of U.S. households. The share of South Atlantic households with swimming pool pumps (used for pool maintenance) increased from 4 percent in 1980 to 9 percent in 2001, while the share of U.S. households increased from 3 percent to 6 percent. Color televisions and personal computers differ from the other appliances in the EIA survey in that they are primarily electronic equipment. Color televisions had saturated the U.S. market by the mid-1990s. Personal computers, first surveyed in 1990, have also have shown remarkable growth. In 1990, 16 percent of U.S. households and 18 percent of South Atlantic households had computers; by 2001, the shares were 56 percent and 57 percent, respectively. GAS AND KEROSENE APPLIANCES "Gas appliances" are appliances that use natural gas or, less frequently, liquefied petroleum gases (LPG). Almost half of all South Atlantic households do not have natural gas available in their neighborhoods, and, not surprisingly, there is a greater reliance on electricity for space-heating in the South Atlantic than in other parts of the United States. It is not surprising, therefore, that the market share of gas appliances in the South Atlantic 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 7 percent of South Atlantic households. Similarly, gas ranges were found in 39 percent of U.S. households but in only 25 percent of South Atlantic households. Interestingly, however, portable kerosene heaters were found more frequently in the South Atlantic than in the United States as a whole, particularly in the late 1980's. In 2001, 4 percent of South Atlantic households had kerosene heaters, compared with 2 percent of U.S. households. ________________ 1The summer temperature difference is calculated using degree-day data. A "degree-day" is a unit of measure of outdoor air temperature relative to a standard temperature. 2Ranges for shares are determined by using rounded values for shares. |