Residential Energy Use Patterns are Changing

The residential sector, which represented 51% of all gallons sold in 2021, is our industry’s largest end-use segment. That information is not new. What is new is how often people are now at home during the workweek. According to recently released data from the Energy Information Agency, nationally, 30% of employees work from home at least one day per week. Working from home is most common in Maryland (44%) and least common in West Virginian (13%). Unsurprisingly, these number are much higher than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

When an employee works from home, they use energy in their household instead of at work. This changes residential energy use patterns, as furnaces, boilers and hot water heaters work harder and more often when somebody is actually home. Further, working from home means that other propane applications, such as fireplaces, clothes dryers and cooktops may also be used during the workday.

All of this new energy consumption behavior presents opportunities to grow gallons and expand the number of applications in a household powered by propane. For additional materials on residential propane applications, visit the For My Home section on PERC’s website. For more information, contact NPGA’s Jacob Peterson.