US electricity demand drops in 2009

Second straight year

Steve Hawley, Apr 28, 10.

US electricity consumption dropped 4.2 percent in 2009, the largest drop in 60 years, according to the Dallas Business Journal.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which compiled the data in its State of the Markets Report 2009, noted that “falling power demand is rare.” Of the 11 recessions that have occurred in the last 60 years, only three have resulted in decreased electricity use. It was also the first time since 1949 that electricity usage declined for two straight years.

The steepest decrease was in the hard-hit industrial sector, but commercial and residential electricity consumption also dropped one percent last year.

Mild summer temperatures in many parts of the country also contributed to the declining usage. Texas was an exception, however. The report notes that electricity demand in Texas broke record highs twice in July 2009 despite a large decline in industrial usage.

Many states are also focusing on improving energy efficiency, but the FERC says it is difficult to isolate those effects due to the overlapping influences of the recession and the weather.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report: State of the Markets Report 2009 (pdf, 1.5 mb)

(Photo credit: S. J. Alexander)