Release date: April 2015

Revised date: May 2016

All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All buildings 5,557 1,096 1,173 897 2,391 87,093 7,799 18,891 22,728 37,676

Building floorspace (square feet)

1,001 to 5,000 2,777 716 465 310 1,286 8,041 1,917 1,430 935 3,759

5,001 to 10,000 1,229 225 308 236 459 8,900 1,596 2,249 1,738 3,316

10,001 to 25,000 884 110 248 173 352 14,105 1,747 3,943 2,766 5,648

25,001 to 50,000 332 30 89 76 137 11,917 1,105 3,123 2,679 5,011

50,001 to 100,000 199 13 36 58 92 13,918 849 2,489 4,077 6,503

100,001 to 200,000 90 Q 17 25 46 12,415 Q 2,432 3,496 6,225

200,001 to 500,000 38 Q 8 15 15 10,724 Q 2,150 4,007 4,360

Over 500,000 8 Q 1 3 3 7,074 Q 1,076 3,029 2,853

Principal building activity

Education 389 28 42 73 246 12,239 428 1,810 3,532 6,469

Food sales 177 Q Q 46 99 1,252 Q Q 576 502

Food service 380 Q 41 85 233 1,819 Q 184 449 1,080

Health care 157 Q Q 31 114 4,155 Q Q 1,021 3,020

Inpatient 10 N Q 2 7 2,374 N Q 682 1,664

Outpatient 147 Q Q 29 107 1,781 Q Q 339 1,356

Lodging 158 Q 11 37 97 5,826 Q 377 1,764 3,559

Mercantile 602 42 129 154 278 11,330 209 1,480 4,324 5,317

Retail (other than mall) 438 42 110 87 198 5,439 209 888 1,518 2,824

Enclosed and strip malls 164 N 18 67 79 5,890 N 592 2,805 2,493

Office 1,012 Q 136 237 622 15,952 Q 1,305 5,750 8,828

Public assembly 352 57 56 69 170 5,559 324 981 1,589 2,665

Public order and safety 84 Q 32 16 26 1,440 Q 290 615 479

Religious worship 412 36 45 64 266 4,557 286 633 1,024 2,614

Service 619 183 293 38 104 4,630 857 2,446 514 813

Warehouse and storage 796 405 290 29 72 13,077 2,958 7,911 722 1,487

Other 125 Q 41 13 36 2,002 Q 654 605 562

Vacant 296 233 29 Q 28 3,256 2,130 600 Q 281

Year constructed

Before 1920 362 87 100 77 98 3,983 896 1,161 1,110 816

1920 to 1945 488 121 99 84 184 6,025 810 1,402 1,752 2,061

1946 to 1959 599 122 141 93 243 7,381 702 1,748 2,287 2,644

1960 to 1969 639 100 136 106 297 10,362 728 2,711 2,731 4,193

1970 to 1979 684 121 148 109 306 10,846 815 2,400 2,665 4,966

1980 to 1989 915 185 203 130 397 15,230 1,220 3,285 3,805 6,921

1990 to 1999 845 182 157 128 378 13,803 1,401 2,445 4,184 5,774

2000 to 2003 375 55 78 63 179 7,215 276 1,494 1,742 3,703

2004 to 2007 347 54 60 61 172 6,524 453 1,220 1,403 3,448

2008 to 2012 303 68 51 46 137 5,723 498 1,026 1,050 3,150

Number of buildings (thousand) Total floorspace (million square feet)

Table B35. Percent of floorspace cooled, number of buildings and floorspace, 2012
All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All buildings 5,557 1,096 1,173 897 2,391 87,093 7,799 18,891 22,728 37,676

Number of buildings (thousand) Total floorspace (million square feet)

Table B35. Percent of floorspace cooled, number of buildings and floorspace, 2012

Census region and division

Northeast 805 213 196 156 240 15,534 1,585 3,558 5,081 5,311

New England 302 115 57 57 72 4,302 819 1,019 1,323 1,141

Middle Atlantic 504 99 139 99 168 11,232 765 2,539 3,758 4,170

Midwest 1,237 267 281 177 512 18,919 1,776 4,741 4,697 7,706

East North Central 735 134 174 112 314 12,742 1,067 3,289 3,408 4,977

West North Central 502 133 107 65 197 6,178 709 1,451 1,289 2,728

South 2,247 355 422 330 1,139 34,279 2,545 6,189 8,462 17,083

South Atlantic 1,091 156 198 171 567 17,981 887 3,237 4,695 9,162

East South Central 370 35 62 60 213 4,904 194 969 1,642 2,098

West South Central 786 164 163 99 359 11,394 1,464 1,982 2,126 5,823

West 1,267 260 273 234 500 18,360 1,894 4,403 4,487 7,576

Mountain 338 79 54 35 171 4,981 492 828 1,054 2,608

Pacific 929 181 220 199 329 13,379 1,402 3,576 3,434 4,968

Climate region1

Very cold/Cold 2,031 533 454 316 727 31,898 3,670 7,561 8,314 12,354

Mixed-humid 1,743 262 344 282 856 27,873 1,508 5,220 8,333 12,812

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 837 155 Q 160 309 12,037 1,150 3,505 2,734 4,648

Hot-humid 799 100 144 105 450 12,831 1,208 2,191 2,562 6,871

Marine 147 Q 17 Q 49 2,454 263 415 785 990

Number of floors

One 3,836 882 782 482 1,690 39,809 5,653 10,371 7,750 16,035

Two 1,158 164 275 227 492 20,206 1,194 5,511 4,834 8,666

Three 374 36 85 121 132 8,140 405 1,378 2,590 3,766

Four to nine 177 14 30 61 72 13,535 499 1,426 4,713 6,896

Ten or more 13 Q Q 6 5 5,404 Q Q 2,840 2,313

Number of workers (main shift)

Fewer than 5 2,892 960 593 321 1,018 17,751 6,156 4,108 2,234 5,253

5 to 9 1,085 86 254 169 576 8,973 735 2,862 1,525 3,851

10 to 19 731 32 175 174 351 9,623 433 3,207 2,227 3,757

20 to 49 513 15 112 130 256 14,514 295 3,724 3,822 6,674

50 to 99 206 Q 26 64 114 13,476 Q 2,240 4,519 6,565

100 to 249 93 Q 12 27 54 10,941 Q 1,977 3,543 5,394

250 or more 37 N 2 12 23 11,815 N 775 4,858 6,182

Weekly operating hours

Fewer than 40 1,149 459 158 103 429 8,220 3,137 1,284 972 2,827

40 to 48 1,346 178 364 223 582 15,828 1,316 4,369 4,097 6,046

49 to 60 1,244 160 351 189 544 20,529 1,233 5,952 4,373 8,972

61 to 84 764 95 162 176 332 15,867 697 3,508 4,967 6,695

85 to 167 479 60 70 103 245 9,395 530 1,874 2,759 4,231

Open continuously 575 144 68 104 259 17,253 886 1,903 5,560 8,904
All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All buildings 5,557 1,096 1,173 897 2,391 87,093 7,799 18,891 22,728 37,676

Number of buildings (thousand) Total floorspace (million square feet)

Table B35. Percent of floorspace cooled, number of buildings and floorspace, 2012

Energy sources

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 5,234 773 1,173 897 2,391 84,869 5,575 18,891 22,728 37,676

Natural gas 2,933 233 697 592 1,411 58,725 1,826 13,031 17,106 26,762

Fuel oil 467 106 110 82 169 20,200 891 3,199 7,075 9,035

District heat 48 Q 4 17 22 5,964 Q 340 2,717 2,845

District chilled water 54 N Q 18 36 4,608 N Q 1,953 2,569

Propane 510 90 164 75 181 7,706 645 2,747 1,669 2,646

Other 172 46 53 26 47 3,826 253 1,204 1,245 1,123

Cooling energy sources

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 4,413 N 1,172 885 2,355 76,034 N 18,815 21,607 35,612

Natural gas 12 N Q 1 9 732 N Q 166 415

District chilled water 54 N Q 18 36 4,608 N Q 1,953 2,569

Energy end uses

(more than one may apply)

Buildings with space heating 4,722 451 1,098 875 2,299 80,078 3,243 17,856 22,293 36,685

Buildings with cooling 4,461 N 1,173 897 2,391 79,294 N 18,891 22,728 37,676

Buildings with water heating 4,423 326 1,028 835 2,235 79,015 2,601 17,607 21,965 36,842

Buildings with cooking 1,589 92 267 344 886 38,546 859 4,886 13,152 19,650

Buildings with manufacturing 259 41 113 37 68 5,078 396 2,390 1,122 1,170

Buildings with electricity

generation 410 25 81 96 208 25,642 292 3,441 9,057 12,852

Percent of floorspace heated

Not heated 835 646 75 22 92 7,015 4,556 1,034 434 991

1 to 50 697 113 496 40 48 10,130 966 7,528 779 857

51 to 99 727 51 131 482 63 14,650 212 1,893 11,180 1,365

100 3,298 286 471 353 2,188 55,298 2,066 8,435 10,334 34,463

Percent lit when open

Zero 70 63 Q N Q 322 246 Q N Q

1 to 50 1,099 196 451 135 316 12,628 1,688 5,274 1,921 3,746

51 to 99 1,666 111 294 517 744 34,814 1,039 6,153 14,102 13,519

100 2,222 283 405 235 1,298 35,726 1,750 7,217 6,558 20,202

Building never open/electricity

not used 501 443 Q Q 31 3,603 3,076 Q Q 187

Cooling equipment 

(more than one may apply)

Residential-type central air

conditioners 1,546 N 403 312 831 14,765 N 5,109 3,376 6,280

Heat pumps 692 N 146 147 399 12,538 N 2,214 3,930 6,393

Individual air conditioners 709 N 326 123 260 12,420 N 4,303 3,662 4,455

District chilled water 54 N Q 18 36 4,608 N Q 1,953 2,569

Central chillers 163 N 8 58 97 17,041 N 918 7,090 9,033

Packaged air conditioning units 1,909 N 394 435 1,081 45,153 N 10,569 13,777 20,807

Swamp coolers 109 N 36 20 53 1,918 N 646 554 718

Other Q N Q Q Q 328 N Q Q Q
All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All

buildings

Not 

cooled

1 to 50

percent

cooled

51 to 99

percent

cooled 

100 

percent

cooled

All buildings 5,557 1,096 1,173 897 2,391 87,093 7,799 18,891 22,728 37,676

Number of buildings (thousand) Total floorspace (million square feet)

Table B35. Percent of floorspace cooled, number of buildings and floorspace, 2012

HVAC conservation features 

(more than one may apply)

Economizer cycle 601 N 92 170 339 30,749 N 3,816 11,589 15,344

Regular HVAC maintenance 3,178 155 649 677 1,696 69,244 1,406 13,943 20,197 33,699

Building automation system (BAS)2 781 24 112 196 448 37,051 359 3,670 12,915 20,106

Equipment usage reduced when 

building not in full use 

(more than one may apply)

Heating 3,699 295 880 709 1,814 63,167 2,081 14,182 18,109 28,795

Cooling 3,517 N 925 711 1,881 62,516 N 14,471 18,352 29,693

Lighting 4,757 561 1,108 853 2,234 78,594 4,083 17,923 21,167 35,421

 1These 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). 

 2

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.