Skip to main content

Consumer energy expenditure down

Hydrocarbon Engineering,


According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), total US household energy consumption expenditures have generally declined relative to disposable income since 1959, although during periods of high energy prices, consumers devote increasing shares of their income to energy. Energy expenditures ranged between 4% and 8% of disposable income since 1959. Consumer energy expenditures today are a lower percentage of disposable income than the average from 1960 to present (5.5%).

Consumer energy expenditures as a percentage of disposable income in 2013 remain lower than the average since the 1960s, even though consumer energy prices grew faster than inflation over that period. Because electricity and transportation spending accounts for more than two thirds of consumer energy expenditures, increasing vehicle fuel efficiencies and changing fuels used for home heating have contributed to lower consumer energy expenditures relative to disposable income.

The EIA reports that consumer energy prices have been more volatile than overall consumer prices especially during the 1970s, early 2000s, and again in the recent recession in 2008 – 2009. During periods when energy prices are changing rapidly, they historically have changed quicker than energy use, leading to large swings in energy expenditures as a share of disposable income.


Adapted from a press release by Emma McAleavey.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/21102014/us-consumer-energy-expenditures-1466/

You might also like

TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce SAF

TotalEnergies and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. (SINOPEC) have signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) to jointly develop a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production unit at a SINOPEC's refinery in China.

 
 

Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):