When asked which objects in their lives consume energy, people might think of objects in their own homes, such as bedroom lights, ceiling fans, refrigerators and ovens. They may not immediately think of energy-consuming objects in all the other places they frequent regularly. However, commercial buildings such as grocery stores, restaurants, offices, warehouses, and small businesses all use a significant amount of energy to run their day-to-day operations.
Of the more than 6 million commercial buildings in the United States, the Department of Energy has data on 130,000 with an average energy use of 207,000 British thermal units per square foot per year. Compare that to the 723,000 reportedly residential buildings that have an average energy use of 67,000 Btus per square foot per year. To estimate energy use, the Department of Energy calculates source energy, which represents the total amount of energy required to operate the building, including energy generation and transmission. It is generally considered the fairest way to compare the energy efficiency of buildings against each other.
The efficiency of a commercial building, measured in energy used per square foot of space, will vary based on many factors. As in residential buildings, the type of windows, insulation, HVAC systems and more can change the amount of energy needed to keep a building running. In addition to these considerations, commercial building operators must also consider the type of mechanical or industrial equipment they use, the number of hours the building is occupied, and whether the building houses materials that need to be maintained under specific environmental conditions. All of these aspects and more can change the energy required for a building to perform its function.
LED Lighting Supply has compiled commercial energy use statistics per building in Kansas using data from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Building Performance Database. Read on to learn more about your state’s commercial use of energy.
Kansas is state No. 28 with the lowest identified commercial energy consumption
– 483 commercial buildings in the database
— Average Commercial Use Energy: 215K BTU per square foot per year
– 117 buildings for food sales, restaurant services and grocery stores
— Average energy consumption for food: 458K BTU
– 79 commercial and service buildings
— Average retail power consumption: 157K BTU
– 71 office buildings
— Average office energy consumption: 169K BTU
