Below, we outline the sectors and industries that might use the most energy or electricity
We look at the global level, and also individual countries (including China and the US – the two countries that consume the most energy in the world)
Summary – Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy & Electricity
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy Globally?
The industrial sector uses the most energy globally in terms of % share by a significant margin, using over half of all energy
Transportation sits clearly in second
The data we used though didn’t specify energy use for the ‘power supply’ sector
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In China?
Not taking the power sector into account, the industrial sector uses the most energy in China by a significant margin
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In The United States?
The electric power sector is responsible for the highest total primary energy use of all sectors in the US
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In The UK?
The transport sector consumes the most energy in the UK
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In Australia?
The electricity supply sector consumes the most energy in Australia, with the transport sector a very close second
Other Notes On Energy Use Across The Sectors
At the bottom of this guide, we list and explain some of the different considerations when looking at energy use across the different sectors, both globally, and in individual countries.
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy Globally?
The industrial sector uses the most energy globally in terms of % share by a significant margin, using over half of all energy
Transportation sits clearly in second
What we note about the data below though is that it would be useful to know the energy use % share for the ‘power supply/electricity generation’ sector separate to the other sectors
% Share Of Global Energy Use
According to wikipedia.org, global energy use in terms of % share, by sector, in 2012, was:
Industrial – 54% [might include agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and construction]
Transportation – 26% [might include passenger transport of different types (road, rail, air, etc), but also freight and pipeline]
Residential – 13% [might include heating, lighting, appliances and devices inside homes]
Commercial – 7% [might include lighting, heating, cooling and services like water, waste inside commercial buildings]
Other Information On Global Energy Use & Consumption
eia.gov also has good information on US and International energy consumption in their report.
You can browse ‘Energy Consumption By Sector’
There’s also an outlooks and forecasts section
There’s also an international section for other countries such as China, India, Russia etc.
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In China?
Not taking the power sector into account, the industrial sector uses the most energy in China by a significant margin
Within the industrial sector, there’s six industries account for most of that energy use
Read more about energy use in China in this guide
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In The United States?
The electric power sector is responsible for the highest total primary energy use of all sectors in the US
The transportation sector and industrial sector are the next two higher consuming sectors behind electric power
Read more about energy use in the US in this guide
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In The UK?
The transport sector consumes the most energy in the UK
The domestic sector is in second
Overall Energy Consumption
In 2016, one set of data from gazprom-energy.co.uk had the following breakdown of energy consumption by sector in the UK:
Transport – 40%
Domestic – 29%
Industry – 17%
Services – 14%
Energy Use Across Business Related Sectors & Industries
The same gazprom-energy.co.uk resource has a good breakdown of energy use across the business related sectors and industries
They indicate that (paraphrased) commercial and miscellaneous services by far uses the most energy, and public administration was in second place
Read the gazprom-energy.co.uk report for a full business sectors energy breakdown, and also for a breakdown of the types of energy sources and fuels used
Which Sectors & Industries Use The Most Energy In Australia?
The electricity supply sector consumes the most energy in Australia
The transport sector is a very close second
According to energy.gov.au, in 2015-15, Australia’s energy consumption by industry was:
Electricity Supply – 28.5 % of total energy consumption
Transport – 27.1%
Manufacturing – 18.4%
[In fourth was mining at 10.1%, followed by residential at 7.5%, commercial at 5.6%, agriculture at 1.8%, construction at 0.4%, and other at 0.7%]
Considerations When Looking At The Sectors & Industries That Use The Most Energy
Some of the considerations to take into account might include but aren’t limited to:
– Considering The ‘Electricity Generation Sector/Power Supply Sector’
Some industry energy use reports include and separate out the electricity generation sector/power supply sector from other sectors, whilst others don’t
It’s important to look at this, because in some countries, the electricity supply sector consumes the most energy of all sectors
Additionally, it’s worth understanding that several other sectors may consume a significant amount of electricity from the electrical generation sector – so, this sector is indirectly responsible for the secondary energy that these other sectors use
– Different Sectors & Industries Use Different Predominant Energy Sources
Different sectors and industries might use different energy sources in different % shares of their overall energy mix.
Another way to say that is – each sector/industry might use a different predominant energy source.
As one example of this, the transportation sector in some major countries might predominantly rely on crude oil right now to produce petroleum based vehicle fuels like gasoline.
Other sectors might rely much more heavily on coal or natural gas for electricity generation (and, they may consume this electricity from the power supply sector)
– The Industry Or Sector That Uses The Most Energy Differs Between Countries
As is evident from the information in this guide, the industries and sectors that use the most energy differ between countries
A good example of this the industrial sector uses much more energy in China right now than the industrial sector does in the US right now
Some of this might have to do with where the economies for each country are currently at in terms of their stage or development
Developed and developing countries in particular might have different industries and sectors that make up different % shares of their overall energy use
Factors like rate of industrialization and technological development can also play a role
– Sectors Can Be Broken Down Into Different Industries For A More Detailed Look At Energy Use Within The Sector
A good example of this might be in transportation.
Transportation can be broken down into road, rail and air transport.
Even road can be broken down into cars, trucks, public transport (like buses), and so on.
Passenger cars and small trucks might be responsible for the highest total energy use of all vehicles in transport.
Sources
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_policy_of_China
3. https://chinapower.csis.org/energy-footprint/
4. https://www.energy.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3411/f/energy-update-report-2017.pdf
5. https://www.gazprom-energy.co.uk/blog/which-businesses-use-the-most-energy/
6. https://www.eia.gov/outlooks
7. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.php?page=us_energy_use
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