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Recent Changes in U.S. Energy Consumption: What Happened and Why

Recent Changes in U.S. Energy Consumption: What Happened and Why Eric Hirst, Robert Marlay,l David Greene, and Richard Barnes Energy Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,2 Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 BACKGROUND Energy-use trends during the past few years have been dramatically different from those of the 1 950s and 1 960s (Table 1 ; 1-3). Energy use in 1 98 1 was slightly lower than it was in 1973. National energy use per unit gross national product (GNP) was 18% lower in 1981 than it was in 1973. Spurred by rapidly rising fuel prices, occasional fuel shortages, and a variety of other factors, US energy efficiency 3 increased sharply. As a result, energy efficiency is no longer a major public policy issue; energy conservation (both operational and technical improvements) is now widely accepted as a major contributor to resolution of our nation's energy problems (4-1 1). However, our understanding of recent changes (by fuel-consuming sector, by region, by fuel, by end use, etc.), their causes, and their manifestations is limited. The relative importance of changes in overall economic activity (GNP), the mix of energy-intensive and nonenergy1 Office of Policy Planning and Analysis, US Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585. 2 The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is operated for the http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Environment and Resources Annual Reviews

Recent Changes in U.S. Energy Consumption: What Happened and Why

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Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1983 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
1543-5938
DOI
10.1146/annurev.eg.08.110183.001205
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Eric Hirst, Robert Marlay,l David Greene, and Richard Barnes Energy Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory,2 Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 BACKGROUND Energy-use trends during the past few years have been dramatically different from those of the 1 950s and 1 960s (Table 1 ; 1-3). Energy use in 1 98 1 was slightly lower than it was in 1973. National energy use per unit gross national product (GNP) was 18% lower in 1981 than it was in 1973. Spurred by rapidly rising fuel prices, occasional fuel shortages, and a variety of other factors, US energy efficiency 3 increased sharply. As a result, energy efficiency is no longer a major public policy issue; energy conservation (both operational and technical improvements) is now widely accepted as a major contributor to resolution of our nation's energy problems (4-1 1). However, our understanding of recent changes (by fuel-consuming sector, by region, by fuel, by end use, etc.), their causes, and their manifestations is limited. The relative importance of changes in overall economic activity (GNP), the mix of energy-intensive and nonenergy1 Office of Policy Planning and Analysis, US Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585. 2 The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is operated for the

Journal

Annual Review of Environment and Resources – Annual Reviews

Published: Nov 1, 1983

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