Release date: April 2015

Revised date: May 2016

Total 

floorspace1

Heated

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Cooled 

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Lit

floorspace2

All buildings 87,093 80,078 70,053 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Building floorspace (square feet)

1,001 to 5,000 8,041 6,699 5,833 6,124 4,916 7,130 5,590

5,001 to 10,000 8,900 7,590 6,316 7,304 5,327 8,152 6,288

10,001 to 25,000 14,105 12,744 10,540 12,357 8,840 13,250 10,251

25,001 to 50,000 11,917 10,911 9,638 10,813 7,968 11,542 9,329

50,001 to 100,000 13,918 13,114 11,649 13,069 10,351 13,564 11,088

100,001 to 200,000 12,415 11,941 10,819 12,152 9,763 12,282 10,539

200,001 to 500,000 10,724 10,348 9,124 10,518 8,161 10,634 9,236

Over 500,000 7,074 6,730 6,133 6,958 5,671 7,014 6,407

Principal building activity

Education 12,239 12,099 11,701 11,811 9,910 12,239 11,005

Food sales 1,252 1,196 1,092 1,190 987 1,252 1,162

Food service 1,819 1,762 1,589 1,712 1,508 1,819 1,533

Health care 4,155 4,109 3,973 4,148 3,935 4,155 3,800

Inpatient 2,374 2,354 2,314 2,374 2,275 2,374 2,234

Outpatient 1,781 1,754 1,659 1,774 1,660 1,781 1,565

Lodging 5,826 5,696 5,427 5,700 5,176 5,817 4,669

Mercantile 11,330 10,794 9,620 11,121 9,380 11,320 9,875

Retail (other than mall) 5,439 5,088 4,606 5,230 4,351 5,430 4,876

Enclosed and strip malls 5,890 5,706 5,014 5,890 5,029 5,890 4,999

Office 15,952 15,753 14,675 15,882 14,095 15,952 13,696

Public assembly 5,559 5,323 4,795 5,235 4,276 5,527 4,622

Public order and safety 1,440 1,391 1,293 1,384 1,036 1,414 1,193

Religious worship 4,557 4,511 4,074 4,271 3,586 4,557 3,099

Service 4,630 4,157 3,449 3,773 1,859 4,379 3,563

Warehouse and storage 13,077 9,987 5,997 10,120 3,426 12,079 8,621

Other 2,002 1,886 1,519 1,820 1,242 1,930 1,585

Vacant 3,256 1,415 850 1,125 582 1,128 305

Year constructed

Before 1920 3,983 3,583 2,931 3,087 1,995 3,715 2,520

1920 to 1945 6,025 5,527 4,944 5,215 3,828 5,774 4,680

1946 to 1959 7,381 6,895 6,029 6,679 4,967 7,087 5,654

1960 to 1969 10,362 9,730 8,688 9,634 7,046 10,061 8,422

1970 to 1979 10,846 10,045 8,771 10,031 7,721 10,354 8,655

1980 to 1989 15,230 13,723 11,608 14,011 10,862 14,688 12,051

1990 to 1999 13,803 12,389 10,880 12,402 9,830 12,856 11,075

2000 to 2003 7,215 6,707 5,984 6,939 5,522 7,100 5,800

2004 to 2007 6,524 5,972 5,255 6,071 4,897 6,378 5,256

2008 to 2012 5,723 5,505 4,963 5,225 4,331 5,556 4,615

Table B37. Heated, cooled, and lit buildings, floorspace, 2012

Total floorspace (million square feet)

Total floorspace

in all 

buildings

Heated buildings Cooled buildings Lit buildings
Total 

floorspace1

Heated

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Cooled 

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Lit

floorspace2

All buildings 87,093 80,078 70,053 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Table B37. Heated, cooled, and lit buildings, floorspace, 2012

Total floorspace (million square feet)

Total floorspace

in all 

buildings

Heated buildings Cooled buildings Lit buildings

Census region and division

Northeast 15,534 15,053 13,754 13,949 10,340 15,071 12,570

New England 4,302 4,090 3,700 3,482 2,461 4,062 3,236

Middle Atlantic 11,232 10,963 10,054 10,467 7,879 11,009 9,334

Midwest 18,919 18,055 16,707 17,144 12,736 18,190 14,834

East North Central 12,742 12,240 11,467 11,675 8,574 12,323 10,072

West North Central 6,178 5,815 5,241 5,469 4,163 5,867 4,762

South 34,279 30,499 26,530 31,734 25,647 32,621 27,067

South Atlantic 17,981 15,883 13,817 17,094 13,891 17,449 14,594

East South Central 4,904 4,692 4,169 4,710 3,691 4,726 3,917

West South Central 11,394 9,923 8,544 9,931 8,065 10,446 8,556

West 18,360 16,471 13,061 16,467 12,274 17,687 14,257

Mountain 4,981 4,704 4,157 4,489 3,667 4,677 3,974

Pacific 13,379 11,767 8,904 11,978 8,607 13,010 10,283

Climate region3

Very cold/Cold 31,898 30,469 28,057 28,228 21,019 30,542 25,067

Mixed-humid 27,873 26,716 24,044 26,365 21,026 27,096 22,812

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 12,037 10,484 7,628 10,887 7,692 11,670 9,059

Hot-humid 12,831 10,090 8,390 11,624 9,529 11,881 9,851

Marine 2,454 2,319 1,934 2,190 1,732 2,381 1,939

Number of floors

One 39,809 34,513 28,983 34,156 24,766 37,113 30,598

Two 20,206 19,411 16,889 19,012 13,955 19,726 15,943

Three 8,140 7,896 7,187 7,734 6,213 8,055 6,239

Four to nine 13,535 12,992 12,096 13,036 11,248 13,307 11,040

Ten or more 5,404 5,265 4,897 5,356 4,816 5,368 4,910

Number of workers (main shift)

Fewer than 5 17,751 12,931 10,634 11,595 8,033 14,286 9,312

5 to 9 8,973 8,492 6,675 8,238 5,710 8,925 6,849

10 to 19 9,623 8,970 7,512 9,190 6,270 9,614 7,822

20 to 49 14,514 14,126 12,147 14,219 10,636 14,512 12,133

50 to 99 13,476 13,184 12,156 13,323 10,931 13,476 11,911

100 to 249 10,941 10,805 10,065 10,913 8,849 10,941 9,761

250 or more 11,815 11,570 10,864 11,815 10,570 11,815 10,941

Weekly operating hours

Fewer than 40 8,220 5,763 4,938 5,083 3,914 5,514 3,906

40 to 48 15,828 14,867 12,442 14,512 10,368 15,693 12,229

49 to 60 20,529 19,365 16,689 19,297 14,009 20,401 16,966

61 to 84 15,867 15,148 13,308 15,170 11,661 15,773 13,351

85 to 167 9,395 8,711 7,790 8,864 6,923 9,336 8,092

Open continuously 17,253 16,224 14,886 16,368 14,123 16,852 14,185
Total 

floorspace1

Heated

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Cooled 

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Lit

floorspace2

All buildings 87,093 80,078 70,053 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Table B37. Heated, cooled, and lit buildings, floorspace, 2012

Total floorspace (million square feet)

Total floorspace

in all 

buildings

Heated buildings Cooled buildings Lit buildings

Energy sources

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 84,869 80,053 70,042 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Natural gas 58,725 58,129 52,163 56,899 44,163 58,278 48,925

Fuel oil 20,200 19,670 17,668 19,309 15,819 20,120 17,541

District heat 5,964 5,962 5,766 5,903 5,256 5,873 5,073

District chilled water 4,608 4,561 4,420 4,608 4,282 4,545 3,952

Propane 7,706 7,332 5,993 7,061 4,567 7,652 6,352

Other 3,826 3,826 3,413 3,573 2,470 3,784 3,189

Space-heating energy sources

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 49,030 49,030 42,273 47,914 37,789 48,789 40,600

Natural gas 49,511 49,511 44,372 47,836 36,284 49,150 41,159

Fuel oil 4,351 4,351 3,691 3,660 2,464 4,288 3,592

District heat 5,925 5,925 5,730 5,864 5,218 5,835 5,037

Propane 3,067 3,067 2,578 2,685 1,866 3,030 2,437

Other 1,010 1,010 889 821 442 985 819

Primary space-heating 

energy source

Electricity 26,205 26,205 21,478 25,613 20,608 26,013 21,290

Natural gas 42,988 42,988 38,698 41,435 31,193 42,684 35,767

Fuel oil 2,542 2,542 2,146 1,984 1,243 2,479 1,951

District heat 5,797 5,797 5,603 5,736 5,097 5,706 4,926

Propane 1,948 1,948 1,604 1,643 1,145 1,928 1,527

Other 598 598 524 425 Q 573 453

Cooling energy sources 

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 76,034 73,613 64,523 76,034 57,966 75,680 62,991

Natural gas 732 732 699 732 614 732 611

District chilled water 4,608 4,561 4,420 4,608 4,282 4,545 3,952

Energy end uses

(more than one may apply)

Buildings with space heating 80,078 80,078 70,053 76,834 59,496 79,384 65,913

Buildings with cooling 79,294 76,834 67,641 79,294 60,998 78,876 65,679

Buildings with water heating 79,015 76,584 67,598 76,414 59,286 78,622 65,494

Buildings with cooking 38,546 37,771 35,200 37,687 32,069 38,494 33,285

Buildings with manufacturing 5,078 4,790 3,658 4,682 2,589 5,044 4,109

Buildings with electricity

generation 25,642 25,155 23,269 25,350 21,355 25,605 22,505

Percent of floorspace heated

Not heated 7,015 N N 2,459 1,501 4,185 2,815

1 to 50 10,130 10,130 2,611 9,164 3,219 9,956 6,538

51 to 99 14,650 14,650 12,144 14,438 11,166 14,586 12,006

100 55,298 55,298 55,298 53,232 45,111 54,842 47,369
Total 

floorspace1

Heated

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Cooled 

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Lit

floorspace2

All buildings 87,093 80,078 70,053 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Table B37. Heated, cooled, and lit buildings, floorspace, 2012

Total floorspace (million square feet)

Total floorspace

in all 

buildings

Heated buildings Cooled buildings Lit buildings

Percent of floorspace cooled

Not cooled 7,799 3,243 2,412 N N 4,693 3,050

1 to 50 18,891 17,856 11,850 18,891 4,594 18,742 13,872

51 to 99 22,728 22,293 19,969 22,728 18,728 22,615 18,976

100 37,676 36,685 35,822 37,676 37,676 37,519 32,830

Percent lit when open

Zero 322 Q Q Q Q Q Q

1 to 50 12,628 11,367 8,089 10,941 6,544 12,628 4,117

51 to 99 34,814 33,572 29,956 33,775 26,728 34,814 28,828

100 35,726 34,204 31,307 33,976 27,345 35,726 35,726

Building never open/electricity 

not used 3,603 879 663 527 348 371 54

Percent lit during off hours

Zero 24,746 22,494 18,815 21,297 14,887 23,500 18,364

1 to 50 50,753 48,596 43,030 48,966 38,315 50,753 41,824

51 to 100 6,926 6,646 6,171 6,731 5,820 6,926 6,559

Building always open with 

no "off hours" 2,443 2,317 2,027 2,300 1,976 2,390 1,983

Electricity not used 2,225 Q Q N N N N

Heating equipment (more than one 

may apply)

Heat pumps 11,846 11,846 10,407 11,772 9,787 11,809 9,988

Furnaces 8,654 8,654 7,574 8,514 6,322 8,604 6,985

Individual space heaters 20,766 20,766 17,801 19,159 13,559 20,603 17,077

District heat 5,925 5,925 5,730 5,864 5,218 5,835 5,037

Boilers 22,443 22,443 21,120 21,579 17,526 22,345 19,100

Packaged heating units 49,188 49,188 42,497 48,053 36,910 48,826 40,785

Other 1,574 1,574 1,455 1,534 1,215 1,570 1,347

Cooling equipment (more than one 

may apply)

Residential-type central air 

conditioners 14,765 14,158 11,835 14,765 10,208 14,692 11,724

Heat pumps 12,538 12,464 11,060 12,538 10,373 12,523 10,613

Individual air conditioners 12,420 11,953 10,513 12,420 8,388 12,374 10,017

District chilled water 4,608 4,561 4,420 4,608 4,282 4,545 3,952

Central chillers 17,041 16,685 15,564 17,041 15,355 16,996 15,049

Packaged air conditioning units 45,153 43,820 38,689 45,153 34,709 44,954 37,867

Swamp coolers 1,918 1,879 1,480 1,918 1,343 1,918 1,672

Other 328 328 295 328 283 328 270

Main equipment replaced since 1990 

(more than one may apply)

Heating 27,558 27,558 23,851 26,409 19,975 27,408 22,463

Cooling 30,702 29,713 26,069 30,702 23,066 30,629 25,048
Total 

floorspace1

Heated

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Cooled 

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Lit

floorspace2

All buildings 87,093 80,078 70,053 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Table B37. Heated, cooled, and lit buildings, floorspace, 2012

Total floorspace (million square feet)

Total floorspace

in all 

buildings

Heated buildings Cooled buildings Lit buildings

Lighting equipment types

(more than one may apply)

Incandescent 38,406 37,292 33,783 37,119 30,223 38,406 32,035

Standard fluorescent 80,081 76,646 67,156 76,125 58,320 80,081 66,088

Compact fluorescent 53,816 52,287 47,539 52,285 43,263 53,816 45,420

High-intensity discharge (HID) 23,396 22,631 20,379 22,734 18,074 23,396 20,039

Halogen 28,059 27,225 24,188 27,618 22,581 28,059 23,727

LED 22,071 21,503 19,789 21,869 19,043 22,071 18,934

Other 446 446 425 446 399 446 411

HVAC conservation features 

(more than one may apply)

Economizer cycle 30,749 30,454 28,477 30,749 26,258 30,701 26,912

Regular HVAC maintenance 69,244 67,518 60,452 67,839 53,994 68,962 58,459

Building automation system (BAS)4 37,051 36,511 34,076 36,692 32,185 36,901 32,428

Window and interior lighting 

features (more than one may

apply)

Multipaned windows 60,362 58,245 52,455 57,518 45,595 59,205 49,654

Tinted window glass 45,025 42,793 37,690 43,491 34,652 44,068 37,216

Reflective window glass 15,908 15,400 13,691 15,527 12,738 15,759 13,298

External overhangs or awnings 32,188 30,924 27,484 31,133 25,021 31,869 26,800

Skylights or atriums 22,261 21,202 18,304 21,448 16,210 21,902 18,386

Light scheduling 30,263 29,204 26,385 29,761 24,861 30,263 26,079

Occupancy sensors 35,871 34,823 31,608 35,098 28,425 35,871 30,532

Multi-level lighting or dimming 14,534 14,097 12,860 14,318 12,501 14,534 12,338

Daylight harvesting 6,114 5,960 5,467 5,936 5,019 6,114 5,231

Demand responsive lighting 4,738 4,579 3,887 4,598 3,629 4,738 3,884

Building automation system (BAS) for 

lighting4 12,068 11,783 10,834 11,995 10,613 12,068 10,746

Equipment usage reduced when 

building not in full use 

(more than one may apply)

Heating 63,167 63,167 55,499 61,087 47,343 62,669 52,102

Cooling 62,516 60,904 53,675 62,516 48,459 62,156 51,809

Lighting 78,594 74,955 65,699 74,511 57,207 78,594 65,361
Total 

floorspace1

Heated

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Cooled 

floorspace2

Total 

floorspace1

Lit

floorspace2

All buildings 87,093 80,078 70,053 79,294 60,998 83,569 68,729

Table B37. Heated, cooled, and lit buildings, floorspace, 2012

Total floorspace (million square feet)

Total floorspace

in all 

buildings

Heated buildings Cooled buildings Lit buildings

 1Total floorspace refers to all floorspace in heated, cooled, or lit buildings, respectively, including the floorspace that was not heated cooled, or lit.

 2Heated floorspace , Cooled floorspace , and Lit floorspace refer only to the portion of the floorspace in these buildings that was reported to be heated, 

cooled, or lit. 

 3

These climate regions were created by the Building America program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy (EERE). 

 4

In earlier CBECS publications, BAS was referred to as Energy Management and Control System (EMCS) .

 Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 20 buildings were sampled.

 N = No cases in reporting sample.

 Notes: ● Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. ● See Guide to the 2012 CBECS Detailed Tables or CBECS Terminology for definition of terms 

used in these tables and/or comparison of differences with prior CBECS tables. Both references can be accessed from 

http://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/data/2012/

 Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Consumption and Efficiency Statistics, Form EIA-871A of the 2012 Commercial Buildings 

Energy Consumption Survey.