Release date: April 2015

Revised date: May 2016

All

buildings Electricity

Natural

gas Fuel oil

District

heat Propane

All buildings 5,557 4,423 2,658 1,758 77 25 142

Building floorspace (square feet)

1,001 to 5,000 2,777 2,032 1,304 684 Q Q 58

5,001 to 10,000 1,229 992 594 384 Q Q 47

10,001 to 25,000 884 775 431 351 Q Q 26

25,001 to 50,000 332 307 167 157 Q Q Q

50,001 to 100,000 199 186 94 109 Q 6 Q

100,001 to 200,000 90 86 46 49 2 6 Q

200,001 to 500,000 38 36 18 21 1 4 Q

Over 500,000 8 8 4 4 (*) 2 Q

Principal building activity

Education 389 332 159 167 11 7 Q

Food sales 177 177 115 59 Q N Q

Food service 380 379 155 216 Q Q 27

Health care 157 156 93 65 2 2 Q

Inpatient 10 10 2 7 1 1 Q

Outpatient 147 146 90 58 Q Q Q

Lodging 158 158 55 91 Q 3 Q

Mercantile 602 531 400 194 Q Q Q

Retail (other than mall) 438 367 263 101 Q Q Q

Enclosed and strip malls 164 164 137 93 Q Q Q

Office 1,012 943 614 323 Q 8 Q

Public assembly 352 317 160 135 Q 3 Q

Public order and safety 84 80 46 28 Q Q Q

Religious worship 412 383 233 144 Q N Q

Service 619 442 273 161 Q Q Q

Warehouse and storage 796 370 264 117 Q N Q

Other 125 98 66 31 Q Q Q

Vacant 296 56 26 27 Q Q Q

Year constructed

Before 1920 362 286 173 104 Q 2 Q

1920 to 1945 488 383 187 176 Q 4 Q

1946 to 1959 599 460 267 189 Q 2 Q

1960 to 1969 639 540 278 269 14 5 Q

1970 to 1979 684 577 342 245 Q 4 Q

1980 to 1989 915 727 495 243 Q 1 21

1990 to 1999 845 631 377 249 Q 2 30

2000 to 2003 375 312 204 108 Q Q Q

2004 to 2007 347 275 189 93 Q Q Q

2008 to 2012 303 231 145 83 Q Q Q

Table B31. Water-heating energy sources, number of buildings, 2012

Number of buildings (thousand)

Water-heating energy sources used (more than one may apply)

Buildings 

with water 

heating
All

buildings Electricity

Natural

gas Fuel oil

District

heat Propane

All buildings 5,557 4,423 2,658 1,758 77 25 142

Table B31. Water-heating energy sources, number of buildings, 2012

Number of buildings (thousand)

Water-heating energy sources used (more than one may apply)

Buildings 

with water 

heating

Census region and division

Northeast 805 671 324 291 69 9 37

New England 302 235 127 55 46 Q 28

Middle Atlantic 504 436 197 236 23 Q Q

Midwest 1,237 1,014 525 493 Q 5 31

East North Central 735 629 295 350 Q 2 Q

West North Central 502 385 230 143 Q Q 24

South 2,247 1,740 1,242 527 Q 7 42

South Atlantic 1,091 856 665 202 Q Q 21

East South Central 370 325 238 92 Q Q Q

West South Central 786 560 339 233 Q Q Q

West 1,267 997 567 447 Q 4 32

Mountain 338 260 130 129 Q Q Q

Pacific 929 737 437 317 Q 3 Q

Climate region1

Very cold/Cold 2,031 1,639 838 748 64 10 71

Mixed-humid 1,743 1,445 944 521 12 10 37

Mixed-dry/Hot-dry 837 635 358 290 Q Q Q

Hot-humid 799 590 459 136 Q Q Q

Marine 147 113 58 63 Q Q N

Number of workers (main shift)

Fewer than 5 2,892 1,917 1,207 644 39 Q 71

5 to 9 1,085 977 606 354 Q Q 37

10 to 19 731 700 376 339 Q Q 23

20 to 49 513 495 290 239 Q 5 Q

50 to 99 206 203 115 110 Q 4 Q

100 to 249 93 93 45 55 2 6 Q

250 or more 37 37 20 17 1 5 Q

Weekly operating hours

Fewer than 40 1,149 703 445 239 Q Q Q

40 to 48 1,346 1,107 722 381 23 Q 21

49 to 60 1,244 1,063 650 412 Q 6 36

61 to 84 764 676 408 299 Q 4 19

85 to 167 479 428 225 213 Q 4 Q

Open continuously 575 447 208 213 18 9 25
All

buildings Electricity

Natural

gas Fuel oil

District

heat Propane

All buildings 5,557 4,423 2,658 1,758 77 25 142

Table B31. Water-heating energy sources, number of buildings, 2012

Number of buildings (thousand)

Water-heating energy sources used (more than one may apply)

Buildings 

with water 

heating

Ownership and occupancy

Nongovernment owned 4,781 3,791 2,323 1,482 63 13 120

Owner occupied 2,466 2,048 1,195 806 45 10 86

Leased to tenant(s) 1,745 1,401 904 541 Q 1 27

Owner occupied and leased 349 316 213 121 Q 2 Q

Unoccupied 221 26 Q Q N N Q

Government owned 776 632 335 275 14 12 22

Federal 33 33 18 14 Q 1 Q

State 185 146 75 66 Q 10 Q

Local 558 452 242 195 12 2 Q

Energy sources

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 5,234 4,423 2,658 1,758 77 25 142

Natural gas 2,933 2,742 1,180 1,758 9 9 Q

Fuel oil 467 411 240 106 77 7 11

District heat 48 45 16 9 Q 25 Q

District chilled water 54 51 27 15 Q 13 N

Propane 510 466 283 43 29 Q 142

Other 172 141 78 45 Q Q Q

Primary space-heating

energy source

Electricity 1,819 1,599 1,315 319 Q Q 24

Natural gas 2,322 2,148 911 1,378 5 Q Q

Fuel oil 205 169 104 Q 61 N Q

District heat 47 44 16 9 Q 25 N

Propane 261 234 138 Q N N 101

Other 67 44 28 Q Q N Q

Cooking energy sources 

(more than one may apply)

Electricity 1,010 997 604 422 22 5 37

Natural gas 740 739 268 576 7 3 Q

Propane 144 142 77 5 17 N 58

Energy end uses

(more than one may apply)

Buildings with space heating 4,722 4,237 2,512 1,722 76 25 133

Buildings with cooling 4,461 4,097 2,481 1,646 58 24 120

Buildings with water heating 4,423 4,423 2,658 1,758 77 25 142

Buildings with cooking 1,589 1,573 810 795 41 7 76

Buildings with manufacturing 259 228 145 84 Q Q Q

Buildings with electricity

generation 410 395 200 184 20 11 20
All

buildings Electricity

Natural

gas Fuel oil

District

heat Propane

All buildings 5,557 4,423 2,658 1,758 77 25 142

Table B31. Water-heating energy sources, number of buildings, 2012

Number of buildings (thousand)

Water-heating energy sources used (more than one may apply)

Buildings 

with water 

heating

Water-heating equipment

Centralized system 3,348 3,348 1,901 1,367 63 19 106

Distributed system 690 690 508 182 Q 3 Q

Combination of centralized and 

distributed system 385 385 250 209 7 4 14

 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). 

 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.

 (*) = Value rounds to zero in the units displayed.

 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.