Washington's Energy Indicators

1.  Washington’s Energy Use — End-Use Energy Consumption

END USE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN WASHINGTON WAS 63 PERCENT HIGHER IN 1995 THAN IN 1970. MOST OF THE INCREASE OCCURRED IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR, WHERE ENERGY USE HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED SINCE 1970. TRANSPORTATION NOW ACCOUNTS FOR MORE THAN HALF OF THE STATE’S ENERGY CONSUMPTION.

Washington’s end-use energy consumption grew at 2.8 percent per year between 1993 and 1995, reaching an all-time high of 1.5 quadrillion Btu in 1995. The transportation sector accounts for the largest share of growth in energy consumption, growing at an annual rate of 4.4 percent since 1985.

During the 1970s and early 1980s, growth in energy consumption was dampened by higher energy prices and changes in the state’s economy. Industrial sector energy consumption declined by 6.5 percent between 1970 and 1985. Energy consumption in the commercial sector, which includes service industries such as finance, insurance, and real estate, more than doubled over the same period, but remains small relative to other sectors.

The period since 1985 has been characterized by resurgence in the industrial sector, where energy consumption grew at 3.1 percent per year between 1985 and 1995, and rapid growth in the transportation sector. After spiking in the late 1970s and early 1980s, energy consumption in the commercial and residential sectors has been flat since 1985.

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