All-Electric Commercial Buildings

As of the 2022 industry sales report, the commercial sector represents 22% of all gallons sold. Notably, commercial accounts, on average, are 4x larger than residential accounts – 1,158 and 420 gallons respectively.

As of the latest Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), 1.8 million commercial buildings – or 31% of all commercial buildings – are all-electric structures. According to the Energy Information Agency (EIA), all-electric commercial buildings are, on average, 40% smaller in size than the market average. This size discrepancy actually makes sense when you consider that, per Btu of energy, grid electricity is far more expense than propane or natural gas. Across all building stock, all-electric commercial buildings are actually more common than all-electric residential ones.

All-electric commercial buildings are not evenly distributed across the country. They are heavily concentrated in the South, and to a lesser degree, the West. Dual-fuel commercial buildings, such as those that use propane for space heating, water heating, and cooking applications, are more common in the Northeast and Midwest.

Fast Facts:

• 17% of commercial buildings are all-electric in the Northeast
• 25% of commercial buildings are all-electric in the Midwest
• 30% of commercial buildings are all-electric in the West
• 42% of commercial buildings are all-electric in the South

For more information on the numerous benefits of using propane to power commercial building applications, visit the Business Use section on PERC’s website. For more information, contact NPGA’s Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson.