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Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)

In the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), buildings are classified according to principal activity, which is the primary business, commerce, or function carried on within each building. Buildings used for more than one of the activities described below are assigned to the activity occupying the most floorspace at the time of the interview. Thus, a building assigned to a particular principal activity category may be used for other activities in a portion of its space or at some time during the year. In the 1999 and 2003 CBECS, respondents were asked to place their building into a sub-category that was a more specific activity than has been collected in prior surveys. This was done to ensure the quality of the data; after data collection, the subcategories were combined into these more general building categories, which are consistent with prior CBECS surveys.                                         Building Types:EducationFood SalesFood ServiceHealth CareLodgingMercantileOfficePublic AssemblyPublic Order and SafetyReligious WorshipServiceWarehouse and StorageOtherVacant Building TypeDefinitionIncludes These                   Sub-Categories from                   2003 CBECS QuestionnaireTopEducationBuildings used for academic or technical classroom instruction, such as elementary, middle, or high schools, and classroom buildings on college or university campuses. Buildings on education campuses for which the main use is not classroom are included in the category relating to their use. For example, administration buildings are part of "Office," dormitories are "Lodging," and libraries are "Public Assembly."- elementary or middle school                                                        high school                                                       college or university 
preschool or daycare
adult education
career or vocational training
religious education
TopFood SalesBuildings used for retail or wholesale of food.- grocery store or food market                                          gas station with a convenience store                                         convenience store 
TopFood ServiceBuildings used for preparation and sale of food and beverages for consumption.- fast food
- restaurant or cafeteria 
TopHealth Care (Inpatient)Buildings used as diagnostic and treatment facilities for inpatient care.- hospital                                                       inpatient rehabilitation     TopHealth Care (Outpatient)Buildings used as diagnostic and treatment facilities for outpatient care. Medical offices are included here if they use any type of diagnostic medical equipment (if they do not, they are categorized as an office building).- medical office (see previous column)                                          clinic or other outpatient health care                                         outpatient rehabilitation                                         
- veterinarian 
TopLodgingBuildings used to offer multiple accommodations for short-term or long-term residents, including skilled nursing and other residential care buildings.-  motel or inn                                          hotel                                                      dormitory, fraternity, or sorority                                                      
- retirement home                                          nursing home, assisted living, or other residential care                                         convent or monastery                                                      
- shelter, orphanage, or children's home                                           halfway house                                    TopMercantile (Retail Other Than Mall)Buildings used for the sale and display of goods other than food.-  retail store                                          beer, wine, or liquor store                                         rental center                                                                               
-  dealership or showroom for vehicles or boats                                          studio/gallery     TopMercantile (Enclosed and Strip Malls)Shopping malls comprised of multiple connected establishments.- enclosed mall                                          strip shopping center     TopOfficeBuildings used for general office space, professional office, or administrative offices. Medical offices are included here if they do not use any type of diagnostic medical equipment (if they do, they are categorized as an outpatient health care building).-  administrative or professional office                                         government office                                        mixed-use office                                                                    
- bank or other financial institution                                          medical office (see previous column)                                          sales office                                        
- contractor's office (e.g. construction, plumbing, HVAC)                                           non-profit or social services                                        research and development                                        
- city hall or city center                                                                     religious office                                        call center
TopPublic Assembly Buildings in which people gather for social or recreational activities, whether in private or non-private meeting halls.- social or meeting (e.g. community center, lodge, meeting hall, convention center, senior center)                                          recreation (e.g. gymnasium, health club, bowling alley, ice rink, field house, indoor racquet sports)                                                                   entertainment or culture (e.g. museum, theater, cinema, sports arena, casino, night club)                                         
- library                                                       funeral home                                        student activities center                                        
- armory                                         exhibition hall                                                      broadcasting studio                                         
- transportation terminal                                       TopPublic Order and SafetyBuildings used for the preservation of law and order or public safety.-  police station                                         fire station                                                        jail, reformatory, or penitentiary                                         
- courthouse or probation office                                       TopReligious WorshipBuildings in which people gather for religious activities, (such as chapels, churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples).No subcategories collected.  TopServiceBuildings in which some type of service is provided, other than food service or retail sales of goods- vehicle service or vehicle repair shop                                                        vehicle storage/ maintenance (car barn)                                         repair shop                                                      
- dry cleaner or laundromat                                                       post office or postal center                                         car wash                                         
- gas station                                                       photo processing shop                                                                                beauty parlor or barber shop                                         
-  tanning salon                                          copy center or printing shop                                         kennel                                     
TopWarehouse and StorageBuildings used to store goods, manufactured products, merchandise, raw materials, or personal belongings (such as self-storage).- refrigerated warehouse                                          non-refrigerated warehouse   distribution or shipping center     TopOtherBuildings that are industrial or agricultural with some retail space; buildings having several different commercial activities that, together, comprise 50 percent or more of the floorspace, but whose largest single activity is agricultural, industrial/ manufacturing, or residential; and all other miscellaneous buildings that do not fit into any other category.- airplane hangar                                          crematorium                                         laboratory                                                       
- telephone switching                                                         agricultural with some retail space                                         manufacturing or industrial with some retail space 
data center or server farm
TopVacantBuildings in which more                 floorspace was vacant than was used for any single commercial activity at the time of interview. Therefore, a vacant building may have some occupied floorspace.No subcategories collected, but a question was asked to determine whether the building was completely vacant.
Note: These subcategories are not exhaustive lists of the types of buildings included in each category. For every general category, there are some "other" types of buildings that did not fit into any of these given subcategories. 

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Contacts - Specific questions on this product may be directed to:    Joelle Michaels 
  - joelle.michaels@eia.doe.gov      CBECS Manager 
    -                       URL: http://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/data/archive/cbecs/building_types.htm