5HVLGHQWLDO (QHUJ\ &RQVXPSWLRQ 6XUYH\V

1997 Housing Characteristics Tables

Usage Indicators Tables

(Percent of U.S. Households; 48 pages, 139 kb)

Contents Pages

HC6-1b. Usage Indicators by Climate Zone, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4

HC6-2b. Usage Indicators by Year of Construction, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-3b. Usage Indicators by Household Income, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-4b. Usage Indicators by Type of Housing Unit, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-5b. Usage Indicators by Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-6b. Usage Indicators by Type of Rented Housing Unit, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-7b. Usage Indicators by Four Most Populated States, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-8b. Usage Indicators by Urban/Rural Location, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-9b. Usage Indicators by Northeast Census Region, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-10b. Usage Indicators by Midwest Census Region, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-11b. Usage Indicators by South Census Region, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

HC6-12b. Usage Indicators by West Census Region, Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 4 

These data are from the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) which provides information on the use of

energy in residential housing units in the United States. The RECS is a national statistical survey that collects data for

occupied primary housing units. RECS was first conducted in 1978; the sixth and most recent survey was conducted in

1997 RECS. The data were collected from a sample of 5,900 housing units statistically selected to represent the 101.5

million units in the United States. The 1997 data are available for the four Census regions, the nine Census divisions,

and for the four most populous States--California, Florida, New York, and Texas.

Data provided here are in the public domain and may be reproduced without permission. Appropriate credit would be

appreciated. A suggested citation is “U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, “A Look at

Residential Energy Consumption in 1997.”

Electronic Products and Services

Users can view and download selected pages or entire reports, search for information, download data and analysis

applications, and find out about new information products and services.

Contact: Robert Latta, Survey Manager (rlatta@eia.doe.gov)

World Wide Web: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/consumption 
Table HC6-1b. Usage Indicators by Climate Zone, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Climate Zone1

RSE

Row

Factors

Fewer than 2,000 CDD and --

2,000 CDD

or More

and Fewer

than

4,000 HDD

More than

7,000 HDD

5,500 to

7,000 HDD

4,000 to

5,499 HDD

Fewer than

4,000 HDD

0.5 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1

Total ............................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes .............................................. 7.2 11.3 6.6 7.8 7.8 5.3 12.2

 No ............................................... 92.8 88.7 93.4 92.2 92.2 94.7 1.7

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes .............................................. 2.4 1.7 3.0 1.9 2.5 2.2 21.4

 No ............................................... 97.6 98.3 97.0 98.1 97.5 97.8 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes .............................................. 50.6 47.2 49.1 52.0 50.5 52.5 2.8

 No ............................................... 49.4 52.8 50.9 48.0 49.5 47.5 2.8

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes .............................................. 84.7 88.9 91.0 83.1 79.6 81.2 1.7

 No ............................................... 14.5 11.1 9.0 16.7 19.7 16.0 10.2

 Do Not Heat Home ..................... 0.8 Q Q Q Q 2.8 27.4

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes .............................................. 44.2 33.4 42.9 46.8 43.4 48.5 7.6

 No ............................................... 55.8 66.6 57.1 53.2 56.6 51.5 5.8

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .... 11.5 13.7 11.6 13.1 9.3 10.8 10.6

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 32.7 19.7 31.3 33.7 34.1 37.7 10.0

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ............................................. 44.8 48.3 42.6 42.7 52.1 41.8 3.6

 No .............................................. 55.2 51.7 57.4 57.3 47.9 58.2 3.0

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ............................................. 46.8 50.8 41.3 45.1 55.4 46.1 3.8

 No .............................................. 53.2 49.2 58.7 54.9 44.6 53.9 3.5

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 92.5 97.7 96.0 92.5 91.0 87.2 1.2

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 3.8 4.1 3.7 4.3 4.8 2.3 17.8

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 8.1 8.1 8.7 8.2 10.4 5.4 9.8

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 23.0 31.7 28.2 23.4 21.2 14.1 5.7

 70 Degrees ............................... 25.3 30.4 25.2 26.2 25.2 22.3 5.2

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 14.5 13.5 17.7 13.3 11.6 14.8 7.0

 74 Degrees or More .................. 17.8 9.9 12.6 17.1 17.8 28.3 7.2

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 2.1 Q Q Q 5.6 3.8 20.8

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.4 Q 3.7 7.0 3.4 9.0 17.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-1b. Usage Indicators by Climate Zone, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Climate Zone1

RSE

Row

Factors

Fewer than 2,000 CDD and --

2,000 CDD

or More

and Fewer

than

4,000 HDD

More than

7,000 HDD

5,500 to

7,000 HDD

4,000 to

5,499 HDD

Fewer than

4,000 HDD

0.5 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 83.7 97.1 93.5 88.6 74.4 68.8 1.5

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 19.4 24.1 20.2 19.5 22.0 14.1 7.2

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.3 20.6 19.2 17.2 14.9 11.2 5.5

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 17.8 23.6 21.5 20.8 13.9 10.9 6.8

 70 Degrees ............................... 14.6 16.7 15.0 16.0 12.1 13.9 7.4

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 7.5 8.0 10.6 6.8 4.6 6.5 11.6

 74 Degrees or More .................. 8.1 4.1 7.0 8.2 6.8 12.2 11.2

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 10.2 Q 2.1 4.2 21.1 21.1 10.8

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 6.1 Q 4.4 7.2 4.6 10.1 14.9

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 87.8 97.4 95.4 89.9 79.1 79.9 1.5

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 16.2 22.3 15.8 16.9 19.7 10.3 7.8

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.6 22.5 18.2 17.8 13.4 13.7 5.8

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 19.3 23.1 23.5 20.9 16.9 12.9 6.8

 70 Degrees ............................... 17.3 17.9 18.6 18.1 14.7 17.1 6.7

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 8.3 7.6 10.5 6.6 6.3 9.1 10.7

 74 Degrees or More .................. 10.1 4.0 8.7 9.5 8.1 16.8 11.6

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 7.1 Q 1.1 3.1 18.1 11.9 16.5

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.0 Q 3.5 7.0 2.8 8.2 17.7

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ................. 47.1 31.1 37.7 46.2 43.8 69.5 6.0

 All Summer ............................... 24.3 4.7 11.7 22.6 24.4 50.0 9.4

 Quite a Bit ................................. 10.3 11.0 10.1 11.8 8.5 10.2 10.5

 Only a Few Times ..................... 12.2 15.4 15.6 11.6 10.3 8.8 12.9

 Not at All ................................... 0.3 Q Q Q Q Q 39.3

 No Central System ...................... 52.9 68.9 62.3 53.8 56.2 30.5 5.1

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .... 4.9 3.7 3.7 6.0 2.1 8.2 15.2

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 13.3 3.5 7.5 12.4 12.0 26.8 13.9

 Used Only for Heating .............. 0.4 Q Q 0.7 Q Q 41.1

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ...................... 26.1 26.2 29.2 33.2 19.3 20.9 7.6

 All Summer ............................... 5.6 1.8 4.1 6.3 5.5 8.3 14.9

 Quite a Bit ................................. 6.5 7.0 6.9 8.9 4.9 4.8 12.0

 Only a Few Times ..................... 13.3 16.6 16.9 17.4 8.6 7.4 9.2

 Not at All ................................... 0.7 Q 1.3 Q Q Q 28.0

 No Window Units ........................ 73.9 73.8 70.8 66.8 80.7 79.1 2.6

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ............................. 27.9 34.5 28.4 29.6 25.8 24.4 4.7

 10 to 20 ....................................... 46.0 44.6 48.5 44.2 47.4 44.1 3.0

 More than 20 ............................... 26.0 20.9 23.1 26.0 26.7 31.1 4.9

 Not Applicable ............................. 0.2 Q Q Q Q Q 68.7

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-1b. Usage Indicators by Climate Zone, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Climate Zone1

RSE

Row

Factors

Fewer than 2,000 CDD and --

2,000 CDD

or More

and Fewer

than

4,000 HDD

More than

7,000 HDD

5,500 to

7,000 HDD

4,000 to

5,499 HDD

Fewer than

4,000 HDD

0.5 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ....................... 50.2 47.4 51.6 50.3 46.6 52.5 4.2

 Less Than 4 Times ................... 28.3 24.5 26.6 29.5 27.9 31.0 5.2

 4 to 6 Times .............................. 12.7 15.1 14.5 11.9 10.7 12.1 8.3

 At Least Once Each Day .......... 9.2 7.7 10.5 8.9 8.1 9.4 9.9

 No Dishwasher ........................... 49.8 52.6 48.4 49.7 53.4 47.5 4.2

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer ................ 77.4 85.5 78.3 77.4 72.6 77.0 2.4

 1 Load or Less .......................... 5.2 5.4 4.5 7.2 4.3 4.7 13.7

 2 to 9 Loads .............................. 29.4 29.7 27.5 29.1 31.1 30.4 4.5

 10 to 15 Loads .......................... 10.0 13.8 11.2 9.5 8.1 9.1 9.0

 More than 15 Loads .................. 3.3 4.2 3.8 3.1 2.4 3.2 15.4

 No Washing Machine .................. 22.6 14.5 21.7 22.6 27.4 23.0 8.8

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer ..................... 71.2 82.6 73.5 70.2 66.1 68.8 2.7

 Every Time Clothes are Washed 56.3 53.8 57.8 54.3 54.6 58.8 3.6

 Some, but not All, Loads ............. 12.8 24.4 13.6 13.8 9.7 8.4 8.4

 Used Infrequently ........................ 2.1 4.5 2.1 2.1 1.8 1.6 17.9

 No Dryer ....................................... 28.8 17.4 26.5 29.8 33.9 31.2 7.1

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day ............... 6.9 4.1 6.3 7.0 7.2 8.7 10.5

 2 Times a Day ............................. 25.3 28.8 24.5 23.9 27.3 24.4 5.7

 Once a Day ................................. 41.6 44.3 45.1 42.5 35.8 40.0 4.1

 A Few Times Each Week ........... 20.1 18.5 17.8 19.8 23.9 20.4 7.9

 About Once a Week .................... 3.0 1.9 3.5 3.6 2.0 3.3 14.9

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 3.0 2.4 2.7 3.0 3.5 3.1 19.4

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day .............. 8.1 7.2 7.3 7.6 10.0 8.5 10.6

 Once a Day ................................. 20.2 19.1 19.9 19.1 20.4 22.0 6.9

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ....................... 34.4 42.7 35.8 33.0 33.2 31.5 4.0

 Once a Week .............................. 14.9 12.0 15.1 16.7 12.7 16.1 6.4

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 21.2 17.9 21.2 22.5 21.9 20.7 6.3

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............... 83.0 90.5 83.9 83.6 81.3 79.5 1.6

 Most or All ................................. 7.2 7.5 7.3 5.5 9.3 7.0 13.3

 About Half ................................. 18.2 21.2 17.6 17.7 19.5 16.9 6.8

 Some or Very Little ................... 21.9 24.1 24.3 22.7 19.5 19.3 7.2

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............. 35.6 37.7 34.7 37.7 32.9 36.2 5.4

 No Microwave Oven ................... 17.0 9.5 16.1 16.4 18.7 20.5 8.8

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-1b. Usage Indicators by Climate Zone, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Climate Zone1

RSE

Row

Factors

Fewer than 2,000 CDD and --

2,000 CDD

or More

and Fewer

than

4,000 HDD

More than

7,000 HDD

5,500 to

7,000 HDD

4,000 to

5,499 HDD

Fewer than

4,000 HDD

0.5 1.4 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.1

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used ........................................... 25.9 17.4 25.5 27.8 20.4 33.0 6.5

 Not Used .................................... 74.1 82.6 74.5 72.2 79.6 67.0 2.1

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace ..................... 2.7 3.1 3.0 1.3 2.8 3.2 24.7

 Most Days ................................... 1.1 2.0 1.0 1.0 Q 1.5 28.7

 Almost Once a Week .................. 0.7 Q 0.9 Q Q Q 32.2

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ....... 0.8 Q Q Q Q Q 58.8

Personal Computer Usage ........... 35.1 40.2 37.3 33.9 34.9 31.4 5.2

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours ..................... 8.1 8.5 8.9 9.7 7.4 5.7 9.5

 2 to 15 Hours .............................. 17.1 20.0 17.5 14.9 17.8 17.2 7.5

 16 to 40 Hours ............................ 6.6 7.7 8.2 6.3 6.1 4.8 11.4

 On All The Time .......................... 3.3 4.0 2.7 3.0 3.6 3.7 16.6

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only ...................... 4.7 5.6 5.6 4.1 3.8 4.6 13.9

 Business Use Only ..................... 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.5 0.9 21.5

 Both Personal and Business ....... 3.1 3.7 2.8 2.9 3.4 3.0 18.9

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................... 2.1 2.0 2.2 1.9 3.0 1.2 19.2

 Other Business Use .................... 3.1 4.1 3.0 3.3 2.9 2.7 19.9

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools .......................... 43.7 51.3 45.4 43.7 41.0 41.0 3.4

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time ............ 12.3 13.6 14.0 12.1 10.2 11.6 8.0

 Recharged As Needed ............. 26.6 32.9 26.5 27.9 23.1 25.9 4.9

 Both Ways are Used ................. 4.8 4.9 4.8 3.7 7.7 3.5 13.1

 Don’t Use Any ............................... 56.3 48.7 54.6 56.3 59.0 59.0 2.7

1 One of five climatically distinct areas, determined according to the 30-year average (1961-1990) of the annual heating and cooling degree-days. For this

report, the heating or cooling degree-days are a measure of how cold or how hot a location is over a period of one year, relative to a base temperature of 65

degrees Fahrenheit. A household is assigned to a climate zone according to the 30-year average annual degree-days for an appropriate nearby weather station.

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals.

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees

Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-2b. Usage Indicators by Year of Construction, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Year of Construction

RSE

Row

Factors

1990

 to

19971

1980

to

1989

1970

to

1979

1960

to

1969

1950

to

1959

1949

or

Before

0.5 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.9

Total ............................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes .............................................. 7.2 8.9 8.2 6.5 7.1 5.1 7.7 13.0

 No ............................................... 92.8 91.1 91.8 93.5 92.9 94.9 92.3 1.1

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes .............................................. 2.4 2.2 1.8 2.4 2.3 2.9 2.5 21.1

 No ............................................... 97.6 97.8 98.2 97.6 97.7 97.1 97.5 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes .............................................. 50.6 48.7 45.6 48.2 51.3 57.9 52.4 3.4

 No ............................................... 49.4 51.3 54.4 51.8 48.7 42.1 47.6 3.5

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes .............................................. 84.7 93.2 92.0 87.1 85.8 82.5 76.1 1.5

 No ............................................... 14.5 5.9 7.8 12.0 13.3 16.7 23.1 10.3

 Do Not Heat Home ..................... 0.8 Q Q 0.9 Q Q 0.9 37.1

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes .............................................. 44.2 56.6 56.2 44.1 45.4 37.1 35.2 5.6

 No ............................................... 55.8 43.4 43.8 55.9 54.6 62.9 64.8 4.6

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .... 11.5 20.0 16.4 9.2 9.4 9.3 9.3 10.0

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 32.7 36.6 39.8 34.9 36.0 27.8 25.9 7.3

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ............................................. 44.8 46.5 45.8 45.9 46.1 44.3 42.4 3.9

 No .............................................. 55.2 53.5 54.2 54.1 53.9 55.7 57.6 3.2

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ............................................. 46.8 47.1 48.9 47.5 47.7 50.8 42.4 3.7

 No .............................................. 53.2 52.9 51.1 52.5 52.3 49.2 57.6 3.3

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 92.5 96.0 94.4 92.1 92.4 91.2 91.0 1.1

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 3.8 4.5 3.0 3.1 4.2 3.3 4.4 17.7

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 8.1 8.0 7.4 9.1 5.9 8.2 9.1 11.7

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 23.0 25.2 22.1 24.3 21.4 23.4 22.6 6.3

 70 Degrees ............................... 25.3 23.6 25.3 24.7 24.9 24.3 26.8 5.7

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 14.5 16.7 13.6 13.3 15.8 15.5 14.1 7.4

 74 Degrees or More .................. 17.8 18.0 23.0 17.6 20.2 16.5 14.0 7.7

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 2.1 Q 2.5 2.9 2.4 2.5 1.1 26.2

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.4 2.4 3.1 5.0 5.2 6.3 7.8 17.6

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:06 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-2b. Usage Indicators by Year of Construction, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Year of Construction

RSE

Row

Factors

1990

 to

19971

1980

to

1989

1970

to

1979

1960

to

1969

1950

to

1959

1949

or

Before

0.5 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.9

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 83.7 89.6 84.9 81.3 81.6 80.7 84.9 1.7

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 19.4 20.0 17.1 19.7 20.9 17.9 20.4 7.2

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.3 13.8 17.9 17.6 13.3 13.7 18.0 7.5

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 17.8 23.2 18.0 16.8 16.0 18.6 16.9 7.5

 70 Degrees ............................... 14.6 15.4 14.6 12.9 14.7 13.6 15.9 8.0

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 7.5 8.1 6.8 6.6 7.0 10.3 7.2 12.0

 74 Degrees or More .................. 8.1 9.1 10.4 7.7 9.7 6.5 6.5 11.7

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 10.2 7.5 11.4 12.4 12.1 13.8 6.4 10.6

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 6.1 2.9 3.7 6.3 6.3 5.5 8.7 15.9

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 87.8 91.6 90.3 86.2 87.4 85.3 87.5 1.3

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 16.2 14.2 15.9 15.7 16.3 17.0 17.0 7.9

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.6 16.8 16.7 19.1 14.0 16.6 16.1 6.6

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 19.3 22.8 18.8 18.7 17.9 19.0 19.7 7.2

 70 Degrees ............................... 17.3 17.2 17.8 16.1 18.0 15.5 18.5 7.4

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 8.3 9.1 7.5 7.8 9.1 9.1 8.0 10.4

 74 Degrees or More .................. 10.1 11.5 13.5 8.7 12.2 8.1 8.3 11.7

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 7.1 5.7 6.9 9.2 8.1 9.1 4.9 12.2

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.0 2.7 2.8 4.6 4.5 5.6 7.6 18.3

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ................. 47.1 77.6 74.7 55.4 46.0 36.7 18.8 4.1

 All Summer ............................... 24.3 43.2 41.0 28.6 24.5 16.9 7.5 7.0

 Quite a Bit ................................. 10.3 18.1 15.4 12.2 8.7 7.6 5.1 10.6

 Only a Few Times ..................... 12.2 16.1 18.0 14.3 12.1 12.2 5.8 10.8

 Not at All ................................... 0.3 Q Q Q Q Q Q 40.3

 No Central System ...................... 52.9 22.4 25.3 44.6 54.0 63.3 81.2 4.2

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .... 4.9 11.6 10.3 4.3 4.1 2.8 0.9 16.0

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 13.3 22.8 22.9 15.2 13.5 8.7 4.6 11.5

 Used Only for Heating .............. 0.4 Q Q Q Q Q Q 45.4

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ...................... 26.1 8.7 11.4 20.7 25.7 35.9 40.7 7.5

 All Summer ............................... 5.6 2.9 2.0 5.8 5.6 7.9 7.5 14.8

 Quite a Bit ................................. 6.5 2.4 2.3 5.0 6.7 9.2 10.3 13.4

 Only a Few Times ..................... 13.3 3.4 6.5 9.7 12.7 18.1 21.7 10.4

 Not at All ................................... 0.7 Q Q Q Q Q 1.2 28.8

 No Window Units ........................ 73.9 91.3 88.6 79.3 74.3 64.1 59.3 2.1

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ............................. 27.9 18.4 25.6 25.3 28.6 31.4 32.4 5.4

 10 to 20 ....................................... 46.0 45.1 46.4 47.4 47.6 45.1 44.6 3.5

 More than 20 ............................... 26.0 36.2 28.1 27.2 23.6 23.4 22.7 5.3

 Not Applicable ............................. 0.2 Q Q Q Q Q Q 70.5

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:06 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-2b. Usage Indicators by Year of Construction, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Year of Construction

RSE

Row

Factors

1990

 to

19971

1980

to

1989

1970

to

1979

1960

to

1969

1950

to

1959

1949

or

Before

0.5 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.9

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ....................... 50.2 76.7 71.2 56.6 48.3 37.2 30.3 3.7

 Less Than 4 Times ................... 28.3 40.8 41.5 32.0 28.3 20.0 16.8 5.7

 4 to 6 Times .............................. 12.7 22.5 16.2 14.7 11.8 10.1 7.4 8.7

 At Least Once Each Day .......... 9.2 13.4 13.6 9.8 8.2 7.1 6.1 11.0

 No Dishwasher ........................... 49.8 23.3 28.8 43.4 51.7 62.8 69.7 4.3

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer ................ 77.4 89.7 83.0 72.7 70.1 81.0 75.1 2.2

 1 Load or Less .......................... 5.2 2.3 5.1 3.4 5.3 6.1 7.1 15.0

 2 to 9 Loads .............................. 29.4 32.0 31.4 27.6 24.6 31.6 29.9 5.0

 10 to 15 Loads .......................... 10.0 14.4 9.9 9.2 9.8 10.1 9.2 9.8

 More than 15 Loads .................. 3.3 3.8 3.7 3.2 2.6 2.6 3.6 17.6

 No Washing Machine .................. 22.6 10.3 17.0 27.3 29.9 19.0 24.9 8.2

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer ..................... 71.2 88.3 80.0 68.8 63.4 71.7 65.1 2.5

 Every Time Clothes are Washed 56.3 75.5 68.5 53.9 48.1 56.5 47.7 3.5

 Some, but not All, Loads ............. 12.8 12.1 10.5 12.8 13.2 12.0 14.5 9.2

 Used Infrequently ........................ 2.1 Q 1.0 2.1 2.1 3.2 2.9 20.0

 No Dryer ....................................... 28.8 11.7 20.0 31.2 36.6 28.3 34.9 7.1

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day ............... 6.9 5.1 7.4 6.1 6.2 6.3 8.5 11.9

 2 Times a Day ............................. 25.3 23.9 25.3 24.2 26.2 25.2 26.1 6.4

 Once a Day ................................. 41.6 41.8 41.4 42.4 42.4 42.4 40.1 4.0

 A Few Times Each Week ........... 20.1 24.2 19.4 21.6 19.5 21.1 17.8 6.9

 About Once a Week .................... 3.0 3.2 3.3 2.4 3.0 1.4 4.1 18.0

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 3.0 Q 3.2 3.3 2.4 3.5 3.0 18.7

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day .............. 8.1 8.7 9.0 7.7 6.6 7.6 8.7 10.9

 Once a Day ................................. 20.2 24.4 19.5 21.8 18.7 20.2 18.9 6.5

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ....................... 34.4 34.2 36.3 34.9 34.1 33.4 33.4 4.4

 Once a Week .............................. 14.9 14.0 16.2 14.4 15.7 16.5 13.7 7.2

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 21.2 17.6 18.2 20.5 23.7 21.0 23.5 6.8

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............... 83.0 88.5 87.2 84.1 82.9 82.6 77.9 1.7

 Most or All ................................. 7.2 5.7 9.2 7.9 7.6 6.5 6.2 12.8

 About Half ................................. 18.2 19.2 20.3 20.4 17.8 17.9 15.2 7.4

 Some or Very Little ................... 21.9 28.7 20.6 23.4 20.8 22.6 19.7 6.4

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............. 35.6 34.8 37.2 32.4 36.7 35.6 36.8 5.3

 No Microwave Oven ................... 17.0 11.5 12.8 15.9 17.1 17.4 22.1 8.9

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:06 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-2b. Usage Indicators by Year of Construction, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Year of Construction

RSE

Row

Factors

1990

 to

19971

1980

to

1989

1970

to

1979

1960

to

1969

1950

to

1959

1949

or

Before

0.5 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.1 1.2 0.9

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used ........................................... 25.9 25.4 28.8 25.7 25.0 27.9 24.1 6.0

 Not Used .................................... 74.1 74.6 71.2 74.3 75.0 72.1 75.9 2.1

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace ..................... 2.7 8.4 4.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 1.0 23.8

 Most Days ................................... 1.1 3.3 1.2 1.0 Q Q 0.7 29.3

 Almost Once a Week .................. 0.7 2.9 1.3 Q Q Q Q 31.1

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ....... 0.8 Q Q Q Q Q Q 60.3

Personal Computer Usage ........... 35.1 50.4 42.3 37.0 33.0 27.6 28.3 4.9

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours ..................... 8.1 9.1 6.8 9.0 8.7 6.0 8.4 11.1

 2 to 15 Hours .............................. 17.1 26.7 22.7 18.3 14.6 14.6 12.0 7.3

 16 to 40 Hours ............................ 6.6 9.6 7.9 6.2 6.5 4.4 5.9 12.1

 On All The Time .......................... 3.3 4.9 4.9 3.5 3.2 2.6 1.9 17.9

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only ...................... 4.7 6.5 5.5 5.1 4.9 3.5 3.8 14.5

 Business Use Only ..................... 2.1 5.0 2.3 1.3 2.2 1.6 1.6 23.5

 Both Personal and Business ....... 3.1 3.0 5.0 3.3 2.6 1.9 2.5 19.4

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................... 2.1 2.9 3.0 2.0 2.3 Q 1.6 21.2

 Other Business Use .................... 3.1 5.1 4.3 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.5 19.9

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools .......................... 43.7 54.1 46.4 44.7 43.2 42.3 38.7 4.0

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time ............ 12.3 15.2 14.5 14.2 12.0 11.4 9.1 9.0

 Recharged As Needed ............. 26.6 32.7 26.6 26.9 25.6 27.0 24.6 5.6

 Both Ways are Used ................. 4.8 6.2 5.3 3.6 5.6 3.9 4.9 15.1

 Don’t Use Any ............................... 56.3 45.9 53.6 55.3 56.8 57.7 61.3 3.3

1 New construction for 1997 includes only those housing units built and occupied between January and the April-August period when the household interviews were

conducted.

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:06 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-3b. Usage Indicators by Household Income, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

1997 Household Income

Below Poverty

Line

Eligible

for

Federal

Assistance1

RSE

Row

Factors

Less

than

$10,000

$10,000

to

$24,999

$25,000

to

$49,999

$50,000

or

More

0.6 1.5 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.4 1.0

Total ............................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes .............................................. 7.2 3.0 4.4 7.8 11.7 3.5 4.1 13.1

 No ............................................... 92.8 97.0 95.6 92.2 88.3 96.5 95.9 1.1

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes .............................................. 2.4 Q 1.9 2.4 3.5 1.2 1.7 19.3

 No ............................................... 97.6 99.1 98.1 97.6 96.5 98.8 98.3 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes .............................................. 50.6 66.2 56.2 46.8 41.6 70.3 64.0 2.4

 No ............................................... 49.4 33.8 43.8 53.2 58.4 29.7 36.0 3.2

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes .............................................. 84.7 68.2 79.8 88.3 93.8 68.0 73.8 2.0

 No ............................................... 14.5 30.7 19.0 11.3 5.8 29.9 24.6 7.0

 Do Not Heat Home ..................... 0.8 1.2 1.2 0.4 Q 2.2 1.6 25.9

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes .............................................. 44.2 33.5 40.5 43.3 54.3 34.7 37.7 5.6

 No ............................................... 55.8 66.5 59.5 56.7 45.7 65.3 62.3 3.9

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .... 11.5 4.0 6.2 11.6 20.6 4.4 6.4 10.1

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 32.7 29.5 34.3 31.7 33.7 30.3 31.3 6.8

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ............................................. 44.8 38.0 43.2 48.0 46.2 38.0 41.2 3.3

 No .............................................. 55.2 62.0 56.8 52.0 53.8 62.0 58.8 2.5

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ............................................. 46.8 43.1 45.5 48.0 48.4 41.3 44.0 3.1

 No .............................................. 53.2 56.9 54.5 52.0 51.6 58.7 56.0 2.6

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 92.5 84.5 91.2 93.3 96.8 83.7 86.9 1.3

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 3.8 7.0 3.0 3.2 3.7 6.4 4.5 13.8

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 8.1 6.0 7.7 9.2 8.4 6.8 7.1 9.7

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 23.0 9.1 21.1 22.8 32.0 10.4 16.1 5.7

 70 Degrees ............................... 25.3 25.2 26.8 24.7 24.3 25.6 25.3 4.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 14.5 12.5 13.3 16.5 14.6 11.8 12.7 6.9

 74 Degrees or More .................. 17.8 24.7 19.3 16.9 13.9 22.7 21.3 5.4

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 2.1 2.3 2.8 2.5 0.8 3.0 3.2 20.9

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.4 13.3 6.0 4.1 2.5 13.2 9.9 13.1

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:12 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-3b. Usage Indicators by Household Income, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

1997 Household Income

Below Poverty

Line

Eligible

for

Federal

Assistance1

RSE

Row

Factors

Less

than

$10,000

$10,000

to

$24,999

$25,000

to

$49,999

$50,000

or

More

0.6 1.5 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.4 1.0

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 83.7 69.1 80.9 85.8 91.1 69.2 74.1 1.6

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 19.4 17.4 19.3 18.9 21.1 17.8 17.7 6.0

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.3 10.8 14.2 17.7 19.6 11.8 13.8 5.9

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 17.8 10.1 14.9 19.3 22.7 8.1 11.7 6.9

 70 Degrees ............................... 14.6 13.7 17.1 13.9 13.2 14.8 15.2 6.2

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 7.5 6.6 6.9 8.3 7.5 6.5 6.7 10.0

 74 Degrees or More .................. 8.1 10.4 8.4 7.7 7.1 10.2 8.9 9.2

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 10.2 16.8 11.9 9.7 6.0 17.1 15.0 8.3

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 6.1 14.0 7.2 4.5 2.9 13.7 11.0 12.2

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 87.8 74.2 85.5 89.9 94.4 74.6 79.2 1.6

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 16.2 15.0 16.1 15.2 18.0 14.9 15.1 6.6

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.6 11.6 14.9 18.0 19.3 11.8 12.9 6.0

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 19.3 12.3 16.7 19.3 25.3 11.2 15.1 6.4

 70 Degrees ............................... 17.3 16.4 19.2 18.1 15.0 17.6 17.5 5.7

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 8.3 5.8 8.0 9.5 8.4 5.7 7.1 9.3

 74 Degrees or More .................. 10.1 13.3 10.5 9.8 8.4 13.4 11.4 8.0

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 7.1 13.1 8.9 6.2 3.6 13.0 11.4 9.9

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.0 12.7 5.6 3.9 2.1 12.3 9.4 13.7

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ................. 47.1 27.6 37.7 50.6 62.2 25.4 31.1 4.3

 All Summer ............................... 24.3 12.7 20.6 25.2 32.6 12.3 15.8 6.8

 Quite a Bit ................................. 10.3 5.8 7.0 11.1 15.0 5.3 6.2 9.7

 Only a Few Times ..................... 12.2 8.9 9.7 13.9 14.4 7.4 8.8 9.7

 Not at All ................................... 0.3 Q Q Q Q Q Q 34.6

 No Central System ...................... 52.9 72.4 62.3 49.4 37.8 74.6 68.9 2.8

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .... 4.9 Q 2.3 4.3 10.1 1.2 1.8 16.8

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 13.3 8.1 11.6 13.4 17.3 8.0 9.6 10.4

 Used Only for Heating .............. 0.4 Q Q Q 0.8 Q Q 36.8

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ...................... 26.1 33.9 29.8 25.4 19.2 32.3 31.7 5.0

 All Summer ............................... 5.6 9.0 6.8 4.1 4.3 8.7 8.0 10.4

 Quite a Bit ................................. 6.5 7.0 6.1 8.0 5.0 6.8 6.5 10.9

 Only a Few Times ..................... 13.3 17.5 16.1 12.7 9.1 16.3 16.2 6.9

 Not at All ................................... 0.7 Q 0.8 0.7 0.8 Q 0.9 30.1

 No Window Units ........................ 73.9 66.1 70.2 74.6 80.8 67.7 68.3 2.0

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ............................. 27.9 51.6 36.3 22.7 13.5 36.8 35.4 4.0

 10 to 20 ....................................... 46.0 34.3 43.3 50.7 49.3 38.0 39.9 3.1

 More than 20 ............................... 26.0 13.2 20.4 26.6 37.2 24.7 24.3 4.6

 Not Applicable ............................. 0.2 Q Q Q Q Q Q 60.5

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:12 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-3b. Usage Indicators by Household Income, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

1997 Household Income

Below Poverty

Line

Eligible

for

Federal

Assistance1

RSE

Row

Factors

Less

than

$10,000

$10,000

to

$24,999

$25,000

to

$49,999

$50,000

or

More

0.6 1.5 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.4 1.0

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ....................... 50.2 15.7 35.5 53.6 78.2 17.3 26.7 4.1

 Less Than 4 Times ................... 28.3 11.5 23.4 31.9 37.2 10.7 16.0 5.7

 4 to 6 Times .............................. 12.7 2.9 7.6 12.3 23.2 4.2 5.8 9.0

 At Least Once Each Day .......... 9.2 1.3 4.4 9.3 17.8 2.4 4.9 11.7

 No Dishwasher ........................... 49.8 84.3 64.5 46.4 21.8 82.7 73.3 2.5

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer ................ 77.4 52.7 69.0 81.5 93.4 58.0 63.3 2.4

 1 Load or Less .......................... 5.2 8.6 6.8 4.4 2.8 7.1 6.3 11.4

 2 to 9 Loads .............................. 29.4 25.7 30.5 30.2 29.1 21.5 25.6 4.6

 10 to 15 Loads .......................... 10.0 3.1 6.4 11.0 15.9 7.3 7.3 8.2

 More than 15 Loads .................. 3.3 1.3 2.4 2.8 5.7 2.8 3.0 14.9

 No Washing Machine .................. 22.6 47.3 31.0 18.5 6.6 42.0 36.7 5.6

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer ..................... 71.2 36.2 61.0 77.1 91.8 41.5 51.2 2.8

 Every Time Clothes are Washed 56.3 28.7 46.0 60.4 75.5 32.2 39.1 3.2

 Some, but not All, Loads ............. 12.8 6.1 12.3 14.5 14.5 7.7 10.1 8.2

 Used Infrequently ........................ 2.1 1.5 2.7 2.2 1.8 1.6 2.0 19.7

 No Dryer ....................................... 28.8 63.8 39.0 22.9 8.2 58.5 48.8 4.3

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day ............... 6.9 12.2 8.3 5.8 4.2 15.0 11.8 8.6

 2 Times a Day ............................. 25.3 28.4 28.2 24.2 22.0 32.0 30.1 4.6

 Once a Day ................................. 41.6 33.4 37.6 43.9 47.0 31.9 35.9 3.7

 A Few Times Each Week ........... 20.1 17.8 18.9 19.8 22.6 16.2 16.4 6.5

 About Once a Week .................... 3.0 3.6 3.5 3.1 2.2 2.2 2.6 15.1

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 3.0 4.1 3.2 3.1 2.0 2.6 3.0 16.9

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day .............. 8.1 9.5 8.4 7.7 7.8 10.9 10.8 8.7

 Once a Day ................................. 20.2 17.6 18.4 20.5 23.0 18.7 19.4 5.7

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ....................... 34.4 26.5 30.9 36.5 39.3 26.0 28.5 4.2

 Once a Week .............................. 14.9 13.6 15.4 15.6 14.2 13.3 14.1 6.3

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 21.2 29.4 25.6 19.0 15.1 28.4 25.2 5.0

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............... 83.0 60.3 81.2 86.7 91.5 63.8 72.0 1.7

 Most or All ................................. 7.2 6.9 8.2 7.0 6.7 5.7 6.8 11.3

 About Half ................................. 18.2 12.6 15.8 19.6 21.7 12.0 13.0 6.9

 Some or Very Little ................... 21.9 12.9 19.7 23.9 26.4 15.3 18.3 6.3

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............. 35.6 28.0 37.4 36.3 36.8 30.8 33.9 4.4

 No Microwave Oven ................... 17.0 39.7 18.8 13.3 8.5 36.2 28.0 6.2

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:12 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-3b. Usage Indicators by Household Income, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

1997 Household Income

Below Poverty

Line

Eligible

for

Federal

Assistance1

RSE

Row

Factors

Less

than

$10,000

$10,000

to

$24,999

$25,000

to

$49,999

$50,000

or

More

0.6 1.5 1.0 0.9 1.0 1.4 1.0

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used ........................................... 25.9 21.3 23.1 25.8 31.2 23.3 22.1 5.5

 Not Used .................................... 74.1 78.7 76.9 74.2 68.8 76.7 77.9 1.8

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace ..................... 2.7 Q 0.9 2.5 5.0 Q 1.1 23.3

 Most Days ................................... 1.1 Q Q 1.0 2.2 Q Q 24.5

 Almost Once a Week .................. 0.7 Q Q 0.7 1.4 Q Q 28.4

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ....... 0.8 Q Q Q 1.4 Q Q 39.2

Personal Computer Usage ........... 35.1 9.7 16.5 36.9 64.5 13.1 15.8 4.9

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours ..................... 8.1 2.8 4.2 9.8 12.5 3.7 4.0 10.5

 2 to 15 Hours .............................. 17.1 3.4 8.0 18.3 31.9 5.3 6.9 8.1

 16 to 40 Hours ............................ 6.6 3.2 3.1 5.8 12.6 3.1 4.1 12.5

 On All The Time .......................... 3.3 Q 1.1 3.0 7.4 1.0 0.9 18.5

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only ...................... 4.7 2.3 2.3 4.1 9.1 2.9 2.9 14.9

 Business Use Only ..................... 2.1 Q Q 1.4 5.0 Q 0.7 21.2

 Both Personal and Business ....... 3.1 Q 1.2 3.3 6.0 Q 1.3 18.4

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................... 2.1 Q 0.8 2.0 4.4 Q 0.7 21.3

 Other Business Use .................... 3.1 Q 1.1 2.7 6.5 Q 1.4 20.1

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools .......................... 43.7 15.1 32.0 48.6 64.1 18.8 25.8 4.0

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time ............ 12.3 3.8 9.1 13.4 18.4 4.6 6.6 8.7

 Recharged As Needed ............. 26.6 9.3 20.2 30.2 37.5 12.3 16.4 5.6

 Both Ways are Used ................. 4.8 2.0 2.7 5.0 8.2 2.0 2.8 13.3

 Don’t Use Any ............................... 56.3 84.9 68.0 51.4 35.9 81.2 74.2 2.0

1 Below 150 percent of poverty line or 60 percent of median State income.

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:12 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-4b. Usage Indicators by Type of Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Type of Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.5 1.8 1.4 1.6

Total ............................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes .............................................. 7.2 8.3 Q 5.6 4.0 14.6

 No ............................................... 92.8 91.7 97.9 94.4 96.0 0.8

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes .............................................. 2.4 2.7 Q 1.6 Q 21.3

 No ............................................... 97.6 97.3 99.3 98.4 98.0 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes .............................................. 50.6 52.8 50.0 40.6 50.0 3.5

 No ............................................... 49.4 47.2 50.0 59.4 50.0 3.4

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes .............................................. 84.7 88.7 79.9 67.5 85.7 2.1

 No ............................................... 14.5 10.8 20.1 30.6 12.7 9.2

 Do Not Heat Home ..................... 0.8 0.5 Q 2.0 Q 39.5

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes .............................................. 44.2 46.8 38.7 32.7 47.8 6.8

 No ............................................... 55.8 53.2 61.3 67.3 52.2 4.9

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .... 11.5 14.0 6.0 3.3 8.3 12.3

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 32.7 32.8 32.6 29.4 39.5 8.2

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ............................................. 44.8 47.3 38.3 35.3 45.2 4.0

 No .............................................. 55.2 52.7 61.7 64.7 54.8 2.9

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ............................................. 46.8 50.0 40.9 33.7 46.5 4.2

 No .............................................. 53.2 50.0 59.1 66.3 53.5 3.3

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 92.5 95.3 90.3 79.7 93.7 1.4

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 3.8 3.5 3.7 5.2 2.9 16.5

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 8.1 8.0 8.4 8.3 8.8 10.6

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 23.0 26.3 16.4 13.2 15.2 7.1

 70 Degrees ............................... 25.3 25.9 25.3 20.9 28.3 5.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 14.5 15.4 13.5 9.5 17.4 8.0

 74 Degrees or More .................. 17.8 16.1 23.0 22.6 21.0 6.8

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 2.1 1.5 Q 5.1 Q 24.8

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.4 3.1 7.8 15.2 4.9 15.8

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:40 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-4b. Usage Indicators by Type of Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Type of Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.5 1.8 1.4 1.6

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 83.7 87.4 78.0 69.1 81.4 2.4

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 19.4 20.3 18.8 15.5 19.8 7.6

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.3 17.5 14.0 11.6 17.0 7.4

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 17.8 20.0 12.0 11.8 11.7 8.2

 70 Degrees ............................... 14.6 14.8 13.3 13.3 16.4 8.2

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 7.5 7.7 8.9 5.3 8.7 11.1

 74 Degrees or More .................. 8.1 7.2 11.0 11.6 7.8 11.0

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 10.2 8.6 12.2 16.1 13.2 11.2

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 6.1 4.0 9.8 14.9 5.4 14.3

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 87.8 91.2 83.6 74.2 85.7 2.0

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 16.2 17.6 13.1 11.1 15.1 8.6

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 16.6 17.7 14.5 12.2 16.6 7.4

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 19.3 21.6 13.6 12.2 15.2 7.7

 70 Degrees ............................... 17.3 17.2 21.1 16.1 19.0 7.4

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 8.3 8.5 8.9 6.9 8.9 9.8

 74 Degrees or More .................. 10.1 8.6 12.3 15.7 11.0 10.7

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 7.1 5.9 8.9 10.9 10.5 13.5

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 5.0 2.8 7.5 14.9 3.8 16.7

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ................. 47.1 50.1 29.0 41.5 41.8 5.7

 All Summer ............................... 24.3 26.3 9.8 20.3 23.5 8.4

 Quite a Bit ................................. 10.3 10.7 10.9 8.2 9.3 11.5

 Only a Few Times ..................... 12.2 12.8 7.7 12.4 8.7 12.5

 Not at All ................................... 0.3 0.3 Q Q Q 50.0

 No Central System ...................... 52.9 49.9 71.0 58.5 58.2 4.1

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .... 4.9 6.0 Q 2.0 3.4 19.1

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 13.3 13.9 7.5 12.5 13.0 13.2

 Used Only for Heating .............. 0.4 0.4 Q Q Q 48.9

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ...................... 26.1 24.5 33.6 29.3 30.5 6.6

 All Summer ............................... 5.6 5.3 4.2 5.8 9.6 13.3

 Quite a Bit ................................. 6.5 6.2 7.9 7.1 7.2 11.5

 Only a Few Times ..................... 13.3 12.3 20.3 15.5 13.4 9.0

 Not at All ................................... 0.7 0.6 Q Q Q 37.3

 No Window Units ........................ 73.9 75.5 66.4 70.7 69.5 2.6

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ............................. 27.9 24.7 35.9 38.7 30.0 5.0

 10 to 20 ....................................... 46.0 47.1 43.4 42.0 46.0 3.6

 More than 20 ............................... 26.0 28.1 20.7 19.0 23.3 5.9

 Not Applicable ............................. 0.2 Q Q Q Q 73.7

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:40 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-4b. Usage Indicators by Type of Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Type of Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.5 1.8 1.4 1.6

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ....................... 50.2 56.6 18.3 40.1 29.0 5.7

 Less Than 4 Times ................... 28.3 29.8 13.2 29.5 20.1 7.4

 4 to 6 Times .............................. 12.7 15.5 2.6 6.6 5.1 11.4

 At Least Once Each Day .......... 9.2 11.3 Q 4.0 3.9 13.9

 No Dishwasher ........................... 49.8 43.4 81.7 59.9 71.0 3.5

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer ................ 77.4 92.2 39.7 21.3 78.9 3.9

 1 Load or Less .......................... 5.2 5.9 5.7 1.8 4.8 16.6

 2 to 9 Loads .............................. 29.4 34.1 16.4 11.9 30.0 6.5

 10 to 15 Loads .......................... 10.0 12.3 4.5 1.4 9.7 12.0

 More than 15 Loads .................. 3.3 4.1 Q Q 3.0 16.3

 No Washing Machine .................. 22.6 7.8 60.3 78.7 21.1 5.9

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer ..................... 71.2 85.8 28.5 17.8 71.6 4.7

 Every Time Clothes are Washed 56.3 67.4 23.3 16.0 55.6 5.1

 Some, but not All, Loads ............. 12.8 15.6 5.0 1.6 14.5 11.2

 Used Infrequently ........................ 2.1 2.7 Q Q Q 19.2

 No Dryer ....................................... 28.8 14.2 71.5 82.2 28.4 4.9

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day ............... 6.9 6.4 8.3 8.4 7.8 10.8

 2 Times a Day ............................. 25.3 25.8 19.3 24.0 28.3 6.0

 Once a Day ................................. 41.6 42.8 38.2 36.7 41.5 4.4

 A Few Times Each Week ........... 20.1 20.0 21.6 22.4 13.4 7.6

 About Once a Week .................... 3.0 2.4 9.0 3.6 4.0 15.3

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 3.0 2.5 3.6 4.1 5.1 17.3

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day .............. 8.1 8.2 8.5 7.6 8.3 10.1

 Once a Day ................................. 20.2 21.3 17.0 16.3 19.6 6.9

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ....................... 34.4 36.4 28.5 29.5 27.9 4.6

 Once a Week .............................. 14.9 14.8 14.7 15.6 15.1 7.1

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 21.2 18.2 30.0 29.4 28.0 5.5

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............... 83.0 86.7 67.8 71.6 81.4 2.0

 Most or All ................................. 7.2 6.8 6.0 9.9 6.7 12.3

 About Half ................................. 18.2 19.0 11.1 17.0 18.0 7.6

 Some or Very Little ................... 21.9 23.2 14.4 19.4 20.2 7.8

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............. 35.6 37.7 36.3 25.3 36.4 5.3

 No Microwave Oven ................... 17.0 13.3 32.2 28.4 18.6 7.6

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:40 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-4b. Usage Indicators by Type of Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Type of Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.5 1.8 1.4 1.6

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used ........................................... 25.9 28.9 16.0 15.3 26.5 7.2

 Not Used .................................... 74.1 71.1 84.0 84.7 73.5 2.0

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace ..................... 2.7 3.6 Q Q Q 25.4

 Most Days ................................... 1.1 1.5 Q Q Q 30.1

 Almost Once a Week .................. 0.7 1.0 Q Q Q 38.4

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ....... 0.8 1.1 Q Q Q 58.6

Personal Computer Usage ........... 35.1 39.6 21.5 26.4 15.5 5.6

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours ..................... 8.1 9.5 3.6 4.8 3.8 13.7

 2 to 15 Hours .............................. 17.1 19.5 11.1 12.2 7.3 8.3

 16 to 40 Hours ............................ 6.6 7.2 5.4 5.5 2.9 13.7

 On All The Time .......................... 3.3 3.5 Q 3.9 Q 16.9

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only ...................... 4.7 5.0 5.2 3.7 3.3 15.5

 Business Use Only ..................... 2.1 2.3 Q 2.1 Q 22.0

 Both Personal and Business ....... 3.1 3.3 Q 3.7 Q 19.0

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................... 2.1 2.1 Q 3.1 Q 19.7

 Other Business Use .................... 3.1 3.5 Q 2.7 Q 20.9

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools .......................... 43.7 51.0 19.9 22.2 33.9 4.5

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time ............ 12.3 14.2 4.9 6.8 10.7 10.1

 Recharged As Needed ............. 26.6 30.8 14.1 13.5 22.1 5.9

 Both Ways are Used ................. 4.8 6.1 Q 1.9 Q 17.6

 Don’t Use Any ............................... 56.3 49.0 80.1 77.8 66.1 2.2

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to

totals. • Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees

Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption

Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:40 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-5b. Usage Indicators by Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

OwnerOccupied

Units

Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.4 0.4 2.5 2.4 1.2

Total ............................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes .............................................. 8.5 8.9 Q Q 3.9 21.2

 No ............................................... 91.5 91.1 92.4 90.0 96.1 1.7

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes .............................................. 2.7 2.7 Q Q Q 31.3

 No ............................................... 97.3 97.3 100.0 98.3 97.7 0.8

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes .............................................. 53.5 53.8 59.4 48.9 50.1 4.6

 No ............................................... 46.5 46.2 40.6 51.1 49.9 5.2

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes .............................................. 90.1 90.7 90.0 74.0 86.4 2.5

 No ............................................... 9.4 8.9 Q 22.3 12.8 17.1

 Do Not Heat Home ..................... 0.5 0.5 Q Q Q 49.6

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes .............................................. 48.3 48.5 47.3 41.6 48.1 8.3

 No ............................................... 51.7 51.5 52.7 58.4 51.9 7.3

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .... 14.9 15.4 Q Q 9.3 15.0

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 33.4 33.0 31.4 31.9 38.8 11.2

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ............................................. 46.7 47.1 33.3 35.9 46.1 6.5

 No .............................................. 53.3 52.9 66.7 64.1 53.9 4.6

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ............................................. 50.6 51.0 46.8 47.8 47.1 6.6

 No .............................................. 49.4 49.0 53.2 52.2 52.9 6.3

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 95.8 96.4 87.6 80.3 93.8 2.3

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 3.0 3.1 Q Q Q 30.3

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 7.7 7.7 Q Q 8.3 16.1

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 26.5 27.6 24.1 21.1 15.0 10.6

 70 Degrees ............................... 26.2 26.3 27.2 14.2 27.0 8.9

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 16.5 16.3 Q Q 19.3 11.3

 74 Degrees or More .................. 16.0 15.5 Q Q 21.9 10.2

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 1.3 1.2 Q Q Q 67.8

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 2.9 2.4 Q 15.8 4.5 30.1

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:50 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-5b. Usage Indicators by Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

OwnerOccupied

Units

Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.4 0.4 2.5 2.4 1.2

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 88.5 89.4 85.7 65.9 83.4 3.5

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 19.8 20.0 18.7 Q 20.5 10.5

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 17.7 18.0 Q Q 17.2 10.1

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 20.0 20.9 Q 16.5 11.6 11.5

 70 Degrees ............................... 15.1 15.2 Q Q 15.8 12.3

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 8.3 8.1 Q Q 9.9 15.8

 74 Degrees or More .................. 7.4 7.2 Q Q 8.4 18.0

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 7.9 7.4 Q 16.1 12.3 20.2

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 3.6 3.2 Q 18.0 4.4 26.0

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 91.8 92.9 85.7 66.1 85.8 3.1

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 17.3 17.8 Q Q 13.3 12.7

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 18.2 18.3 Q Q 17.8 9.7

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 22.1 22.8 19.8 16.9 15.6 12.3

 70 Degrees ............................... 17.0 17.0 Q Q 18.2 11.4

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 8.7 8.7 Q Q 9.7 14.3

 74 Degrees or More .................. 8.6 8.4 Q Q 11.2 18.9

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 5.6 4.9 Q 18.1 11.1 20.5

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 2.6 2.2 Q 15.8 3.1 30.2

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ................. 53.1 54.3 41.1 33.4 45.3 8.0

 All Summer ............................... 27.9 28.5 Q 22.2 25.3 10.9

 Quite a Bit ................................. 11.5 11.7 Q Q 10.1 16.7

 Only a Few Times ..................... 13.3 13.8 Q Q 9.6 18.5

 Not at All ................................... 0.3 0.3 Q Q Q 65.2

 No Central System ...................... 46.9 45.7 58.9 66.6 54.7 6.6

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .... 6.2 6.6 Q Q 4.1 23.3

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 14.9 15.1 Q Q 13.4 19.1

 Used Only for Heating .............. 0.5 0.4 Q Q Q 68.9

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ...................... 24.4 23.4 42.2 42.3 29.2 9.9

 All Summer ............................... 5.3 4.9 Q Q 8.5 22.3

 Quite a Bit ................................. 6.1 5.9 Q Q 6.7 17.4

 Only a Few Times ..................... 12.4 11.9 21.1 24.8 13.7 14.9

 Not at All ................................... 0.7 0.7 Q Q Q 57.8

 No Window Units ........................ 75.6 76.6 57.8 57.7 70.8 4.6

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ............................. 26.1 24.7 33.2 67.8 31.0 7.7

 10 to 20 ....................................... 46.9 47.6 43.6 25.4 44.7 6.8

 More than 20 ............................... 26.9 27.7 23.1 Q 23.5 9.5

 Not Applicable ............................. Q Q Q Q Q NF

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:50 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-5b. Usage Indicators by Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

OwnerOccupied

Units

Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.4 0.4 2.5 2.4 1.2

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ....................... 58.9 61.7 31.9 48.9 33.3 7.0

 Less Than 4 Times ................... 31.8 32.5 25.8 36.5 23.2 9.7

 4 to 6 Times .............................. 16.2 17.4 Q Q 5.9 13.9

 At Least Once Each Day .......... 11.0 11.9 Q Q 4.3 17.2

 No Dishwasher ........................... 41.1 38.3 68.1 51.1 66.7 6.1

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer ................ 93.0 95.6 62.5 35.5 81.0 5.7

 1 Load or Less .......................... 6.2 6.3 Q Q 5.0 20.8

 2 to 9 Loads .............................. 34.9 35.7 19.2 23.9 31.4 8.4

 10 to 15 Loads .......................... 12.1 12.4 Q Q 10.1 15.6

 More than 15 Loads .................. 4.2 4.4 Q Q 2.7 25.0

 No Washing Machine .................. 7.0 4.4 37.5 64.5 19.0 14.2

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer ..................... 87.6 90.2 54.0 31.9 75.0 6.4

 Every Time Clothes are Washed 68.4 70.5 40.3 26.3 58.0 6.2

 Some, but not All, Loads ............. 16.4 16.7 Q Q 15.4 11.7

 Used Infrequently ........................ 2.8 3.0 Q Q Q 27.5

 No Dryer ....................................... 12.4 9.8 46.0 68.1 25.0 10.8

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day ............... 6.1 5.9 Q Q 7.3 18.0

 2 Times a Day ............................. 25.7 25.6 20.8 21.8 27.8 8.9

 Once a Day ................................. 43.9 44.3 33.2 38.6 42.4 6.3

 A Few Times Each Week ........... 18.9 19.5 Q 16.3 12.8 13.7

 About Once a Week .................... 2.7 2.3 Q Q 4.2 25.5

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 2.8 2.4 Q Q 5.6 27.6

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day .............. 7.7 7.6 Q Q 8.5 16.1

 Once a Day ................................. 20.9 21.1 19.0 Q 19.9 10.7

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ....................... 36.5 37.8 Q 27.2 27.4 7.2

 Once a Week .............................. 14.9 14.7 Q 26.8 14.7 10.2

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 19.0 17.9 38.9 21.5 28.6 9.2

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............... 87.6 88.4 75.6 75.7 83.1 2.9

 Most or All ................................. 6.9 6.8 Q 17.8 6.7 17.2

 About Half ................................. 18.8 19.1 Q 19.1 17.7 11.0

 Some or Very Little ................... 23.3 23.7 21.8 18.8 20.2 10.9

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............. 38.6 38.9 42.9 20.0 38.6 8.3

 No Microwave Oven ................... 12.4 11.6 24.4 24.3 16.9 14.0

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:50 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-5b. Usage Indicators by Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

OwnerOccupied

Units

Type of Owner-Occupied Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.4 0.4 2.5 2.4 1.2

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used ........................................... 29.5 30.1 24.9 Q 27.3 9.5

 Not Used .................................... 70.5 69.9 75.1 87.0 72.7 3.3

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace ..................... 3.9 4.3 Q Q Q 33.7

 Most Days ................................... 1.6 1.7 Q Q Q 39.9

 Almost Once a Week .................. 1.1 1.2 Q Q Q 50.6

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ....... 1.2 1.3 Q Q Q 77.3

Personal Computer Usage ........... 38.8 41.5 Q 20.5 15.9 8.3

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours ..................... 9.4 10.1 Q Q 4.2 18.7

 2 to 15 Hours .............................. 18.9 20.2 Q Q 6.7 12.4

 16 to 40 Hours ............................ 7.1 7.6 Q Q 3.3 18.7

 On All The Time .......................... 3.4 3.6 Q Q Q 26.5

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only ...................... 5.0 5.2 Q Q 3.9 22.7

 Business Use Only ..................... 2.4 2.6 Q Q Q 31.7

 Both Personal and Business ....... 3.1 3.4 Q Q Q 25.0

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................... 2.0 2.2 Q Q Q 30.1

 Other Business Use .................... 3.5 3.8 Q Q Q 25.8

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools .......................... 52.5 54.5 38.3 29.6 36.9 5.9

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time ............ 15.1 15.4 Q Q 11.8 12.9

 Recharged As Needed ............. 31.4 32.5 20.4 18.9 23.9 9.1

 Both Ways are Used ................. 6.0 6.6 Q Q Q 22.5

 Don’t Use Any ............................... 47.5 45.5 61.7 70.4 63.1 4.3

NF = No applicable RSE row factor.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • All temperatures listed are in degrees

Fahrenheit. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. • Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms

used in this report.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption

Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:56:50 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-6b. Usage Indicators by Type of Rented Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Rented

Units

Type of Rented Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.7 1.3 0.9 2.2

Total ............................................... 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes .............................................. 4.6 5.3 Q 5.2 Q 24.0

 No ............................................... 95.4 94.7 99.0 94.8 95.6 0.9

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes .............................................. 1.8 2.4 Q 1.6 Q 35.1

 No ............................................... 98.2 97.6 99.2 98.4 99.3 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes .............................................. 44.5 48.0 48.2 39.9 49.5 6.1

 No ............................................... 55.5 52.0 51.8 60.1 50.5 5.2

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes .............................................. 73.7 79.2 77.9 66.9 82.5 3.6

 No ............................................... 25.1 20.1 22.1 31.2 Q 11.2

 Do Not Heat Home ..................... 1.2 Q Q 1.8 Q 55.8

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes .............................................. 35.8 38.8 36.9 32.0 46.1 9.3

 No ............................................... 64.2 61.2 63.1 68.0 53.9 5.7

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .... 4.5 6.8 4.1 2.8 Q 23.7

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 31.3 32.0 32.9 29.2 42.7 10.3

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ............................................. 40.9 48.1 39.3 35.3 40.8 6.4

 No .............................................. 59.1 51.9 60.7 64.7 59.2 4.4

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ............................................. 38.7 45.1 39.8 32.6 43.6 6.4

 No .............................................. 61.3 54.9 60.2 67.4 56.4 4.3

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 85.7 90.2 90.8 79.6 92.8 2.2

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 5.3 5.8 3.8 5.4 Q 21.1

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 9.1 9.8 9.6 8.1 Q 16.1

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 15.9 20.1 14.8 12.6 16.4 12.4

 70 Degrees ............................... 23.4 24.2 24.9 21.4 34.3 9.3

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 10.4 11.3 13.0 9.1 Q 14.6

 74 Degrees or More .................. 21.5 19.1 24.6 23.1 16.6 10.6

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 3.7 3.0 Q 5.2 Q 21.7

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 10.6 6.8 7.6 15.1 Q 16.8

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:17 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-6b. Usage Indicators by Type of Rented Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Rented

Units

Type of Rented Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.7 1.3 0.9 2.2

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 73.7 77.9 76.4 69.3 71.8 3.6

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 18.5 21.5 18.8 16.0 16.7 11.7

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 13.4 14.9 14.4 11.6 16.1 13.2

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 13.1 15.5 12.0 11.4 12.2 14.6

 70 Degrees ............................... 13.4 12.8 13.5 13.4 19.5 13.1

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 5.7 6.0 7.4 5.2 Q 20.4

 74 Degrees or More .................. 9.5 7.1 10.3 11.6 Q 17.6

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 15.2 14.5 13.6 16.1 17.6 13.6

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 11.2 7.6 9.9 14.6 Q 16.4

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ...................... 79.6 83.1 83.2 74.9 85.1 3.0

 63 Degrees or Less .................. 13.9 16.8 13.2 10.9 23.7 12.3

 64 to 66 Degrees ..................... 13.3 14.9 13.0 12.2 10.6 13.2

 67 to 69 Degrees ...................... 13.5 16.0 12.3 11.8 13.1 12.0

 70 Degrees ............................... 18.1 18.1 21.8 16.6 22.7 10.9

 71 to 73 Degrees ...................... 7.5 7.4 9.8 6.9 Q 15.7

 74 Degrees or More .................. 13.2 10.0 13.0 16.4 Q 15.5

 Heat Turned Off .......................... 10.4 11.0 9.7 10.3 Q 17.1

 Unknown/No Answer .................. 10.0 5.9 7.1 14.8 Q 17.9

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ................. 34.6 29.8 26.6 42.1 24.4 10.2

 All Summer ............................... 16.7 15.6 9.4 20.2 14.7 14.2

 Quite a Bit ................................. 7.7 6.3 9.0 8.6 Q 20.8

 Only a Few Times ..................... 9.9 7.8 7.6 13.0 Q 21.5

 Not at All ................................... Q Q Q Q Q NF

 No Central System ...................... 65.4 70.2 73.4 57.9 75.6 4.6

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .... 2.1 2.7 Q 2.1 Q 38.4

 Only Manual Controls Used ...... 10.0 8.1 7.3 12.4 Q 19.2

 Used Only for Heating .............. Q Q Q Q Q NF

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ...................... 29.6 29.6 31.9 28.3 36.6 8.9

 All Summer ............................... 6.2 7.1 3.8 5.7 14.7 17.4

 Quite a Bit ................................. 7.4 7.6 7.3 7.1 Q 19.5

 Only a Few Times ..................... 15.3 14.5 20.2 14.7 12.3 11.6

 Not at All ................................... 0.6 Q Q Q Q 87.8

 No Window Units ........................ 70.4 70.4 68.1 71.7 63.4 4.0

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ............................. 31.6 24.8 36.4 36.3 25.2 9.1

 10 to 20 ....................................... 44.1 44.7 43.3 43.3 52.2 5.5

 More than 20 ............................... 24.0 30.1 20.3 20.0 22.6 9.6

 Not Applicable ............................. Q Q Q Q Q NF

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:17 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-6b. Usage Indicators by Type of Rented Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Rented

Units

Type of Rented Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.7 1.3 0.9 2.2

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ....................... 32.0 31.5 15.6 39.4 Q 11.3

 Less Than 4 Times ................... 21.0 16.9 10.7 29.0 Q 13.8

 4 to 6 Times .............................. 5.5 6.1 Q 6.3 Q 19.6

 At Least Once Each Day .......... 5.5 8.5 Q 4.2 Q 22.8

 No Dishwasher ........................... 68.0 68.5 84.4 60.6 92.0 3.7

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer ................ 45.0 75.4 35.2 20.2 68.6 6.7

 1 Load or Less .......................... 3.1 4.1 5.0 1.6 Q 28.7

 2 to 9 Loads .............................. 17.9 26.3 15.8 10.9 23.0 12.5

 10 to 15 Loads .......................... 5.7 11.6 2.3 1.4 Q 22.8

 More than 15 Loads .................. 1.4 2.6 Q Q Q 35.9

 No Washing Machine .................. 55.0 24.6 64.8 79.8 31.4 6.4

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer ..................... 37.2 64.5 23.5 16.7 54.9 8.9

 Every Time Clothes are Washed 31.1 52.8 19.9 15.2 43.8 10.1

 Some, but not All, Loads ............. 5.2 10.1 3.3 Q Q 19.4

 Used Infrequently ........................ 0.8 1.6 Q Q Q 45.6

 No Dryer ....................................... 62.8 35.5 76.5 83.3 45.1 5.4

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day ............... 8.7 9.2 7.8 8.4 10.0 16.8

 2 Times a Day ............................. 24.5 26.5 19.0 24.2 31.1 9.2

 Once a Day ................................. 36.7 35.9 39.2 36.6 37.1 6.8

 A Few Times Each Week ........... 22.5 22.6 22.5 22.8 16.3 10.6

 About Once a Week .................... 3.8 2.5 8.9 3.2 Q 23.8

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 3.4 3.2 Q 3.9 Q 28.4

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day .............. 9.1 11.3 8.1 7.7 Q 15.5

 Once a Day ................................. 18.8 22.3 16.6 16.5 17.8 10.6

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ....................... 29.9 29.5 31.4 29.7 30.4 7.4

 Once a Week .............................. 15.0 15.3 14.4 14.7 17.5 12.8

 Less Than Once a Week ............ 25.6 19.7 28.2 30.0 24.7 8.9

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............... 73.3 78.4 66.2 71.2 73.0 3.1

 Most or All ................................. 7.9 6.9 6.5 9.3 Q 19.0

 About Half ................................. 16.8 18.4 11.8 16.8 19.7 11.6

 Some or Very Little ................... 19.1 21.0 13.0 19.4 20.2 13.1

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............. 29.5 32.2 35.0 25.7 26.1 8.3

 No Microwave Oven ................... 26.7 21.6 33.8 28.8 27.0 8.1

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:17 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-6b. Usage Indicators by Type of Rented Housing Unit, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Rented

Units

Type of Rented Housing Unit

RSE

Row

Factors

Single-Family 

Multifamily

Two to Four Units Five or More Units Mobile Home

0.5 0.7 1.3 0.9 2.2

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used ........................................... 18.4 23.1 14.3 15.4 22.6 12.5

 Not Used .................................... 81.6 76.9 85.7 84.6 77.4 2.8

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace ..................... Q Q Q Q Q NF

 Most Days ................................... Q Q Q Q Q NF

 Almost Once a Week .................. Q Q Q Q Q NF

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ....... Q Q Q Q Q NF

Personal Computer Usage ........... 27.2 30.6 22.3 26.9 13.3 9.4

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours ..................... 5.2 6.1 4.2 5.0 Q 22.1

 2 to 15 Hours .............................. 13.6 16.4 10.8 12.3 Q 13.0

 16 to 40 Hours ............................ 5.4 5.3 6.2 5.5 Q 22.7

 On All The Time .......................... 3.1 2.9 Q 4.1 Q 28.7

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only ...................... 4.0 4.1 5.9 3.6 Q 26.3

 Business Use Only ..................... 1.5 Q Q 2.3 Q 32.5

 Both Personal and Business ....... 2.9 3.0 Q 3.7 Q 33.1

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................... 2.2 1.9 Q 3.2 Q 32.8

 Other Business Use .................... 2.2 2.2 Q 2.8 Q 37.5

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools .......................... 25.5 33.9 16.2 21.7 19.4 9.7

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time ............ 6.5 8.2 Q 6.5 Q 15.8

 Recharged As Needed ............. 16.6 22.4 12.9 13.1 13.4 12.0

 Both Ways are Used ................. 2.4 3.4 Q 2.0 Q 44.3

 Don’t Use Any ............................... 74.5 66.1 83.8 78.3 80.6 2.9

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

NF = No applicable RSE row factor.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • All temperatures listed are in degrees

Fahrenheit. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. • Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms

used in this report.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption

Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 4:19:17 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-7b. Usage Indicators by Four Most Populated States, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Four Most Populated States

RSE

Row

Factors

New York California Texas Florida

0.4 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.5

Total .............................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes ............................................................ 7.2 7.4 7.5 6.0 6.4 13.5

 No .............................................................. 92.8 92.6 92.5 94.0 93.6 2.2

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes ............................................................ 2.4 Q 3.2 2.1 Q 26.0

 No .............................................................. 97.6 98.3 96.8 97.9 97.1 1.5

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes ............................................................ 50.6 55.4 50.8 49.9 57.1 3.2

 No .............................................................. 49.4 44.6 49.2 50.1 42.9 3.6

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes ............................................................ 84.7 67.6 76.2 83.7 85.1 3.2

 No .............................................................. 14.5 32.1 22.8 15.9 11.1 13.1

 Do Not Heat Home .................................... 0.8 0.3 Q Q Q 24.0

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes ............................................................ 44.2 37.1 51.0 54.1 60.0 8.1

 No .............................................................. 55.8 62.9 49.0 45.9 40.0 7.8

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .................. 11.5 12.7 13.7 9.6 12.3 15.8

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 32.7 24.5 37.3 44.5 47.7 11.0

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ........................................................... 44.8 34.4 59.2 42.7 38.9 4.0

 No ............................................................. 55.2 65.6 40.8 57.3 61.1 3.1

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ........................................................... 46.8 39.2 64.6 45.7 43.0 3.9

 No ............................................................. 53.2 60.8 35.4 54.3 57.0 3.6

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 92.5 84.3 85.6 91.8 79.4 2.7

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 3.8 3.8 6.3 1.3 1.2 26.4

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 8.1 10.3 13.8 5.1 6.1 12.7

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 23.0 22.8 21.5 15.6 9.8 9.1

 70 Degrees .............................................. 25.3 22.6 25.4 24.2 14.9 8.2

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 14.5 11.1 7.3 14.4 14.9 8.3

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 17.8 13.8 11.2 31.2 32.4 8.9

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 2.1 Q 9.8 Q 10.3 22.0

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.4 15.7 4.6 7.7 10.4 22.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:02 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-7b. Usage Indicators by Four Most Populated States, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Four Most Populated States

RSE

Row

Factors

New York California Texas Florida

0.4 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.5

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 83.7 82.4 58.3 79.8 61.6 3.3

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 19.4 17.5 22.2 16.5 9.0 13.5

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.3 17.0 13.2 9.7 11.1 9.9

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 17.8 17.2 9.6 15.0 6.7 11.0

 70 Degrees .............................................. 14.6 16.4 8.4 20.7 9.6 10.6

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 7.5 6.7 2.4 6.8 6.9 14.2

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 8.1 7.6 Q 11.1 18.3 12.5

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 10.2 1.4 35.8 12.7 28.1 11.7

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 6.1 16.2 5.9 7.4 10.2 18.7

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 87.8 83.0 64.6 89.1 73.1 3.0

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 16.2 15.8 21.4 11.0 4.7 13.3

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.6 19.4 13.1 15.8 10.7 7.5

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 19.3 19.2 11.6 15.7 10.3 8.8

 70 Degrees .............................................. 17.3 14.5 10.9 21.6 11.4 10.3

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 8.3 5.1 3.1 8.9 11.3 13.5

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 10.1 8.9 4.5 16.0 24.6 16.4

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 7.1 1.2 31.6 4.9 16.9 17.7

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.0 15.8 3.8 6.0 10.0 23.1

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ............................... 47.1 18.5 28.9 69.1 83.2 5.3

 All Summer .............................................. 24.3 5.4 6.1 52.8 61.0 9.4

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 10.3 6.4 7.0 8.9 10.6 12.6

 Only a Few Times ................................... 12.2 6.7 14.6 6.9 10.4 16.1

 Not at All .................................................. 0.3 Q 1.2 0.5 1.1 29.0

 No Central System .................................... 52.9 81.5 71.1 30.9 16.8 5.2

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .................. 4.9 3.0 2.2 10.1 9.3 16.7

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 13.3 5.8 6.0 30.9 40.3 16.7

 Used Only for Heating ............................. 0.4 Q Q Q Q 57.5

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ..................................... 26.1 44.5 12.9 23.5 14.8 10.0

 All Summer .............................................. 5.6 5.5 1.9 10.0 4.9 22.7

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 6.5 11.5 2.3 5.9 3.3 18.6

 Only a Few Times ................................... 13.3 27.1 8.4 7.6 5.4 11.2

 Not at All .................................................. 0.7 Q Q Q 1.1 36.2

 No Window Units ....................................... 73.9 55.5 87.1 76.5 85.2 2.9

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ........................................... 27.9 28.0 24.7 23.5 21.8 6.9

 10 to 20 ..................................................... 46.0 45.5 49.5 40.5 42.8 4.4

 More than 20 ............................................. 26.0 26.2 25.5 35.7 34.6 6.7

 Not Applicable ........................................... 0.2 0.4 0.3 Q Q 43.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:02 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-7b. Usage Indicators by Four Most Populated States, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Four Most Populated States

RSE

Row

Factors

New York California Texas Florida

0.4 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.5

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ..................................... 50.2 46.0 47.5 54.7 58.0 6.1

 Less Than 4 Times .................................. 28.3 25.9 27.8 30.0 35.7 8.6

 4 to 6 Times ............................................. 12.7 11.1 12.0 13.1 13.7 11.7

 At Least Once Each Day ......................... 9.2 9.0 7.6 11.6 8.7 12.7

 No Dishwasher .......................................... 49.8 54.0 52.5 45.3 42.0 6.4

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer .............................. 77.4 66.6 60.7 73.0 81.8 4.3

 1 Load or Less ......................................... 5.2 6.3 4.7 4.2 6.8 19.2

 2 to 9 Loads ............................................. 29.4 28.6 24.2 23.6 35.9 7.5

 10 to 15 Loads ......................................... 10.0 7.8 5.7 10.6 9.2 12.4

 More than 15 Loads ................................ 3.3 3.1 1.5 3.8 2.2 23.7

 No Washing Machine ................................ 22.6 33.4 39.3 27.0 18.2 11.5

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer .................................... 71.2 54.5 57.1 69.6 73.7 4.1

 Every Time Clothes are Washed ............... 56.3 40.0 47.4 61.6 64.6 6.1

 Some, but not All, Loads ........................... 12.8 11.3 8.3 7.1 7.2 15.5

 Used Infrequently ...................................... 2.1 3.1 1.4 Q 1.9 20.1

 No Dryer ...................................................... 28.8 45.5 42.9 30.4 26.3 7.9

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day .............................. 6.9 8.6 8.6 8.1 12.8 11.6

 2 Times a Day ........................................... 25.3 19.5 25.4 25.9 21.2 8.5

 Once a Day ............................................... 41.6 43.0 41.7 37.4 41.3 6.9

 A Few Times Each Week .......................... 20.1 20.3 19.3 20.4 18.7 10.5

 About Once a Week .................................. 3.0 4.2 1.5 5.2 2.8 20.8

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 3.0 Q 3.3 2.9 3.2 28.5

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day ............................. 8.1 7.5 7.7 9.3 7.8 17.4

 Once a Day ............................................... 20.2 16.5 16.4 22.2 19.5 8.7

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ...................................... 34.4 29.4 32.2 34.2 30.7 6.9

 Once a Week ............................................. 14.9 17.8 11.8 13.7 19.0 8.2

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 21.2 28.0 29.5 19.6 21.5 8.4

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............................. 83.0 75.9 82.1 79.7 84.0 2.1

 Most or All ............................................... 7.2 6.1 8.8 7.7 7.5 16.8

 About Half ................................................ 18.2 9.6 20.6 18.7 20.4 9.0

 Some or Very Little .................................. 21.9 20.3 20.9 16.0 20.5 12.6

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............................ 35.6 39.9 31.9 37.3 35.5 6.8

 No Microwave Oven .................................. 17.0 24.1 17.9 20.3 16.0 9.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:02 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-7b. Usage Indicators by Four Most Populated States, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Four Most Populated States

RSE

Row

Factors

New York California Texas Florida

0.4 1.2 1.1 1.3 1.5

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used .......................................................... 25.9 19.6 20.4 35.8 29.6 9.4

 Not Used .................................................. 74.1 80.4 79.6 64.2 70.4 3.3

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace .................................... 2.7 1.6 Q Q Q 13.8

 Most Days ................................................. 1.1 Q Q Q Q 39.1

 Almost Once a Week ................................. 0.7 1.0 Q Q Q 40.4

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ...................... 0.8 Q Q Q Q 76.4

Personal Computer Usage ......................... 35.1 31.6 39.9 36.7 33.2 5.9

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours .................................... 8.1 6.6 6.8 6.6 5.2 17.3

 2 to 15 Hours ............................................. 17.1 15.5 19.9 18.8 17.4 10.8

 16 to 40 Hours ........................................... 6.6 7.2 9.1 6.3 6.0 14.3

 On All The Time ........................................ 3.3 2.3 4.1 5.0 4.6 17.5

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only .................................... 4.7 3.6 5.3 6.8 4.9 16.2

 Business Use Only .................................... 2.1 2.0 3.6 1.0 Q 27.8

 Both Personal and Business ..................... 3.1 3.9 4.2 3.4 5.7 24.8

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................................. 2.1 2.4 4.3 2.2 Q 22.9

 Other Business Use .................................. 3.1 3.6 3.5 Q 4.8 27.4

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools ......................................... 43.7 38.9 43.7 46.0 42.1 5.1

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time .......................... 12.3 9.2 8.1 12.5 13.7 11.9

 Recharged As Needed ............................ 26.6 26.7 26.0 26.5 26.2 7.1

 Both Ways are Used ............................... 4.8 2.9 9.6 7.1 2.3 17.4

 Don’t Use Any ............................................. 56.3 61.1 56.3 54.0 57.9 3.8

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:02 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-8b. Usage Indicators by Urban/Rural Location, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Urban/Rural Location1

RSE

Row

Factors

City Town Suburbs Rural

0.6 0.8 1.3 1.3 1.3

Total .............................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes ............................................................ 7.2 6.0 5.7 7.0 13.1 11.0

 No .............................................................. 92.8 94.0 94.3 93.0 86.9 0.9

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes ............................................................ 2.4 1.9 1.8 2.8 3.7 18.3

 No .............................................................. 97.6 98.1 98.2 97.2 96.3 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes ............................................................ 50.6 49.0 52.7 51.3 52.0 2.7

 No .............................................................. 49.4 51.0 47.3 48.7 48.0 2.8

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes ............................................................ 84.7 80.7 88.3 93.1 83.2 1.4

 No .............................................................. 14.5 18.3 11.5 6.0 16.4 9.5

 Do Not Heat Home .................................... 0.8 1.0 Q 0.9 Q 25.2

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes ............................................................ 44.2 43.2 44.2 50.9 39.7 5.6

 No .............................................................. 55.8 56.8 55.8 49.1 60.3 4.5

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .................. 11.5 10.8 10.4 16.9 8.7 9.1

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 32.7 32.4 33.9 34.0 31.0 7.4

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ........................................................... 44.8 43.2 47.9 44.0 46.8 3.0

 No ............................................................. 55.2 56.8 52.1 56.0 53.2 2.5

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ........................................................... 46.8 45.5 49.1 46.8 47.7 3.1

 No ............................................................. 53.2 54.5 50.9 53.2 52.3 2.8

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 92.5 89.2 95.4 94.9 96.2 1.0

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 3.8 4.1 4.7 1.9 3.7 16.2

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 8.1 7.2 9.7 7.8 9.7 9.1

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 23.0 19.7 24.8 30.2 22.8 4.8

 70 Degrees .............................................. 25.3 24.5 26.0 24.8 27.1 4.3

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 14.5 14.0 13.8 15.4 16.0 6.7

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 17.8 19.8 16.5 14.8 16.9 6.4

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 2.1 3.2 1.4 Q Q 20.7

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.4 7.6 3.2 4.0 3.0 18.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:08 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-8b. Usage Indicators by Urban/Rural Location, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Urban/Rural Location1

RSE

Row

Factors

City Town Suburbs Rural

0.6 0.8 1.3 1.3 1.3

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 83.7 77.7 88.9 89.4 88.8 1.5

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 19.4 16.9 23.8 19.4 22.0 5.6

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.3 14.8 18.9 16.8 17.2 5.1

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 17.8 15.5 18.2 23.0 18.2 6.0

 70 Degrees .............................................. 14.6 14.0 14.8 14.8 15.9 6.0

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 7.5 7.2 6.3 8.8 8.1 9.8

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 8.1 9.4 6.9 6.5 7.5 9.8

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 10.2 14.4 6.7 5.9 6.8 11.1

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 6.1 7.9 4.3 4.7 4.4 15.6

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 87.8 83.1 91.9 92.7 91.6 1.2

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 16.2 14.5 20.2 14.1 19.1 6.7

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.6 14.6 16.6 20.2 18.4 5.0

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 19.3 16.1 22.9 24.0 19.5 5.8

 70 Degrees .............................................. 17.3 17.4 17.5 16.8 17.6 5.4

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 8.3 8.7 6.7 8.8 8.3 9.1

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 10.1 11.9 8.0 8.8 8.7 9.4

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 7.1 9.8 5.5 3.5 5.5 13.4

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.0 7.1 2.6 3.8 3.0 19.1

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ............................... 47.1 43.0 42.8 64.3 44.2 3.8

 All Summer .............................................. 24.3 22.2 22.2 32.4 23.4 6.0

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 10.3 9.0 8.5 15.6 10.0 8.5

 Only a Few Times ................................... 12.2 11.3 12.0 16.3 10.5 9.1

 Not at All .................................................. 0.3 0.5 Q Q Q 29.4

 No Central System .................................... 52.9 57.0 57.2 35.7 55.8 3.6

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .................. 4.9 3.9 4.9 8.5 3.6 13.7

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 13.3 12.5 11.3 17.2 13.3 10.1

 Used Only for Heating ............................. 0.4 0.4 0.8 Q Q 34.8

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ..................................... 26.1 27.4 30.6 17.0 27.5 5.7

 All Summer .............................................. 5.6 5.6 6.3 3.7 6.9 11.7

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 6.5 6.8 7.0 4.6 7.1 9.9

 Only a Few Times ................................... 13.3 14.3 16.6 7.9 13.0 7.6

 Not at All .................................................. 0.7 0.7 0.6 Q Q 29.7

 No Window Units ....................................... 73.9 72.6 69.4 83.0 72.5 1.9

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ........................................... 27.9 29.7 31.5 23.9 23.0 4.0

 10 to 20 ..................................................... 46.0 45.0 42.2 47.1 52.1 2.8

 More than 20 ............................................. 26.0 25.2 26.2 29.0 24.4 4.4

 Not Applicable ........................................... 0.2 0.1 Q Q Q 51.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:08 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-8b. Usage Indicators by Urban/Rural Location, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Urban/Rural Location1

RSE

Row

Factors

City Town Suburbs Rural

0.6 0.8 1.3 1.3 1.3

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ..................................... 50.2 42.2 48.8 71.9 50.6 3.2

 Less Than 4 Times .................................. 28.3 25.5 26.0 38.6 27.2 4.8

 4 to 6 Times ............................................. 12.7 9.9 13.1 19.7 12.6 7.6

 At Least Once Each Day ......................... 9.2 6.8 9.7 13.6 10.8 8.8

 No Dishwasher .......................................... 49.8 57.8 51.2 28.1 49.4 3.6

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer .............................. 77.4 67.5 80.9 88.4 90.1 1.7

 1 Load or Less ......................................... 5.2 5.1 6.0 5.8 4.0 12.4

 2 to 9 Loads ............................................. 29.4 27.0 30.7 31.6 32.4 4.3

 10 to 15 Loads ......................................... 10.0 7.9 11.6 10.8 13.6 8.2

 More than 15 Loads ................................ 3.3 2.0 4.5 3.9 5.0 13.7

 No Washing Machine ................................ 22.6 32.5 19.1 11.6 9.9 8.0

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer .................................... 71.2 59.8 74.6 85.0 84.9 2.0

 Every Time Clothes are Washed ............... 56.3 48.0 58.8 71.7 60.1 3.1

 Some, but not All, Loads ........................... 12.8 10.1 13.1 11.5 21.5 7.4

 Used Infrequently ...................................... 2.1 1.6 2.7 1.8 3.3 16.8

 No Dryer ...................................................... 28.8 40.2 25.4 15.0 15.1 6.5

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day .............................. 6.9 8.1 7.1 4.8 5.8 10.0

 2 Times a Day ........................................... 25.3 24.9 23.8 21.2 32.6 5.0

 Once a Day ............................................... 41.6 38.7 44.3 46.3 41.5 3.3

 A Few Times Each Week .......................... 20.1 21.6 17.7 22.3 15.5 7.1

 About Once a Week .................................. 3.0 3.0 3.5 2.9 2.7 14.0

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 3.0 3.4 3.2 2.5 1.9 17.5

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day ............................. 8.1 8.0 8.7 5.7 10.5 9.5

 Once a Day ............................................... 20.2 18.7 21.2 19.4 24.5 5.6

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ...................................... 34.4 32.7 36.2 37.2 33.9 3.6

 Once a Week ............................................. 14.9 14.9 12.8 17.1 14.9 6.1

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 21.2 24.2 20.3 19.8 14.9 5.5

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............................. 83.0 78.6 86.5 88.1 85.9 1.5

 Most or All ............................................... 7.2 7.6 7.3 7.8 5.4 10.4

 About Half ................................................ 18.2 16.8 19.7 21.4 16.9 5.9

 Some or Very Little .................................. 21.9 20.4 22.8 23.6 23.7 6.0

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............................ 35.6 33.9 36.8 35.3 40.0 4.6

 No Microwave Oven .................................. 17.0 21.4 13.5 11.9 14.1 8.3

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:08 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-8b. Usage Indicators by Urban/Rural Location, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

Urban/Rural Location1

RSE

Row

Factors

City Town Suburbs Rural

0.6 0.8 1.3 1.3 1.3

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used .......................................................... 25.9 23.5 20.3 29.8 34.9 5.0

 Not Used .................................................. 74.1 76.5 79.7 70.2 65.1 1.8

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace .................................... 2.7 2.2 2.4 4.2 2.4 19.8

 Most Days ................................................. 1.1 1.1 1.4 0.8 1.2 26.6

 Almost Once a Week ................................. 0.7 0.4 Q 2.0 Q 31.4

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ...................... 0.8 0.7 Q 1.4 Q 40.3

Personal Computer Usage ......................... 35.1 32.9 30.9 48.0 31.3 4.1

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours .................................... 8.1 7.5 7.8 9.0 8.8 9.3

 2 to 15 Hours ............................................. 17.1 16.0 14.9 25.5 13.4 6.2

 16 to 40 Hours ........................................... 6.6 6.3 5.6 8.5 6.2 10.0

 On All The Time ........................................ 3.3 3.0 2.6 5.0 3.0 14.9

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only .................................... 4.7 4.7 3.8 6.2 4.2 12.3

 Business Use Only .................................... 2.1 1.7 2.1 3.3 1.9 19.0

 Both Personal and Business ..................... 3.1 3.0 2.3 4.0 3.1 16.2

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................................. 2.1 2.2 1.2 2.9 1.7 19.9

 Other Business Use .................................. 3.1 2.5 3.2 4.4 3.3 15.3

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools ......................................... 43.7 37.0 45.2 54.1 50.3 3.0

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time .......................... 12.3 10.3 13.1 17.2 11.5 7.5

 Recharged As Needed ............................ 26.6 22.4 26.9 31.6 32.9 4.1

 Both Ways are Used ............................... 4.8 4.2 5.1 5.3 5.9 10.7

 Don’t Use Any ............................................. 56.3 63.0 54.8 45.9 49.7 2.6

1 Based on the household respondent’s description rather than the Federal Government definition.

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:08 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-9b. Usage Indicators by Northeast Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Northeast Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Middle Atlantic New England

0.5 1.1 1.3 1.4

Total .............................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes ............................................................ 7.2 7.3 7.1 7.8 17.2

 No .............................................................. 92.8 92.7 92.9 92.2 1.5

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes ............................................................ 2.4 1.9 1.5 3.1 20.5

 No .............................................................. 97.6 98.1 98.5 96.9 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes ............................................................ 50.6 52.7 53.4 50.7 2.9

 No .............................................................. 49.4 47.3 46.6 49.3 3.1

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes ............................................................ 84.7 81.5 79.2 87.5 1.4

 No .............................................................. 14.5 18.4 20.6 12.5 7.8

 Do Not Heat Home .................................... 0.8 Q Q Q 38.2

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes ............................................................ 44.2 37.3 38.5 33.9 9.0

 No .............................................................. 55.8 62.7 61.5 66.1 5.6

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .................. 11.5 11.0 12.0 8.4 14.0

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 32.7 26.3 26.5 25.6 12.0

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ........................................................... 44.8 40.3 35.8 52.4 3.3

 No ............................................................. 55.2 59.7 64.2 47.6 2.5

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ........................................................... 46.8 41.8 38.9 49.8 4.0

 No ............................................................. 53.2 58.2 61.1 50.2 3.2

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 92.5 92.5 91.3 95.8 1.4

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 3.8 5.4 4.7 7.6 19.6

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 8.1 11.0 10.5 12.6 6.2

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 23.0 30.3 28.5 35.1 4.6

 70 Degrees .............................................. 25.3 25.1 25.1 24.9 6.1

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 14.5 10.6 11.4 8.5 7.2

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 17.8 10.0 11.0 7.2 9.5

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 2.1 Q Q Q 26.8

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.4 7.2 8.6 3.7 20.4

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:14 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-9b. Usage Indicators by Northeast Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Northeast Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Middle Atlantic New England

0.5 1.1 1.3 1.4

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 83.7 91.0 89.6 94.7 1.4

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 19.4 23.1 19.4 33.2 7.0

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.3 19.7 19.0 21.5 4.8

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 17.8 21.5 21.9 20.3 7.1

 70 Degrees .............................................. 14.6 15.3 16.1 13.0 7.6

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 7.5 6.3 7.0 4.2 15.1

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 8.1 5.2 6.2 2.4 12.2

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 10.2 1.2 1.3 Q 16.0

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 6.1 7.8 9.1 4.3 18.2

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 87.8 92.0 90.7 95.5 1.4

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 16.2 20.7 16.9 30.9 8.8

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.6 19.9 20.5 18.2 5.2

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 19.3 23.1 23.1 22.9 6.7

 70 Degrees .............................................. 17.3 16.5 16.7 16.0 6.2

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 8.3 5.7 6.6 3.3 14.8

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 10.1 6.1 6.8 4.1 13.4

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 7.1 0.7 Q Q 19.2

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.0 7.3 8.7 3.6 20.8

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ............................... 47.1 22.2 27.5 7.8 11.1

 All Summer .............................................. 24.3 6.9 9.0 Q 9.1

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 10.3 5.5 7.0 Q 17.3

 Only a Few Times ................................... 12.2 9.7 11.6 4.8 14.9

 Not at All .................................................. 0.3 Q Q Q 40.0

 No Central System .................................... 52.9 77.8 72.5 92.2 3.3

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .................. 4.9 2.9 3.9 Q 22.2

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 13.3 4.3 5.9 Q 17.8

 Used Only for Heating ............................. 0.4 Q Q Q 45.0

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ..................................... 26.1 41.4 41.4 41.2 7.0

 All Summer .............................................. 5.6 4.3 4.2 4.4 16.3

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 6.5 9.0 9.1 8.7 8.4

 Only a Few Times ................................... 13.3 26.6 26.7 26.4 8.2

 Not at All .................................................. 0.7 1.5 1.4 Q 28.8

 No Window Units ....................................... 73.9 58.6 58.6 58.8 4.2

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ........................................... 27.9 29.2 28.6 30.9 3.5

 10 to 20 ..................................................... 46.0 46.7 45.8 49.1 2.3

 More than 20 ............................................. 26.0 24.0 25.4 20.0 4.1

 Not Applicable ........................................... 0.2 Q Q Q 69.9

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:14 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-9b. Usage Indicators by Northeast Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Northeast Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Middle Atlantic New England

0.5 1.1 1.3 1.4

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ..................................... 50.2 48.5 48.9 47.5 3.9

 Less Than 4 Times .................................. 28.3 27.6 28.4 25.6 5.2

 4 to 6 Times ............................................. 12.7 12.1 11.7 13.0 6.8

 At Least Once Each Day ......................... 9.2 8.8 8.8 8.9 13.3

 No Dishwasher .......................................... 49.8 51.5 51.1 52.5 3.7

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer .............................. 77.4 76.0 76.5 74.5 2.2

 1 Load or Less ......................................... 5.2 6.6 7.1 5.5 14.1

 2 to 9 Loads ............................................. 29.4 31.2 32.3 28.3 3.6

 10 to 15 Loads ......................................... 10.0 9.5 9.5 9.4 8.2

 More than 15 Loads ................................ 3.3 3.7 3.7 3.7 13.2

 No Washing Machine ................................ 22.6 24.0 23.5 25.5 7.1

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer .................................... 71.2 66.7 67.2 65.2 2.3

 Every Time Clothes are Washed ............... 56.3 47.1 48.8 42.5 4.1

 Some, but not All, Loads ........................... 12.8 16.1 15.7 17.1 10.1

 Used Infrequently ...................................... 2.1 3.5 2.7 5.6 14.4

 No Dryer ...................................................... 28.8 33.3 32.8 34.8 4.9

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day .............................. 6.9 6.7 7.2 5.1 10.2

 2 Times a Day ........................................... 25.3 20.9 18.8 26.7 6.5

 Once a Day ............................................... 41.6 45.6 45.7 45.5 3.6

 A Few Times Each Week .......................... 20.1 19.0 19.7 17.1 8.3

 About Once a Week .................................. 3.0 4.0 4.8 Q 12.6

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 3.0 3.6 3.7 3.3 20.7

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day ............................. 8.1 6.6 5.9 8.5 11.7

 Once a Day ............................................... 20.2 19.6 18.5 22.5 6.3

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ...................................... 34.4 32.4 31.4 34.9 4.2

 Once a Week ............................................. 14.9 16.7 18.0 12.9 4.0

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 21.2 24.2 25.5 20.7 5.7

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............................. 83.0 78.7 78.1 80.2 1.5

 Most or All ............................................... 7.2 6.7 6.4 7.4 12.2

 About Half ................................................ 18.2 14.0 14.3 13.1 8.9

 Some or Very Little .................................. 21.9 20.5 19.8 22.3 7.4

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............................ 35.6 37.6 37.6 37.4 5.4

 No Microwave Oven .................................. 17.0 21.3 21.9 19.8 6.4

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:14 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-9b. Usage Indicators by Northeast Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Northeast Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Middle Atlantic New England

0.5 1.1 1.3 1.4

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used .......................................................... 25.9 17.8 19.6 13.1 8.8

 Not Used .................................................. 74.1 82.2 80.4 86.9 2.0

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace .................................... 2.7 Q Q Q 26.3

 Most Days ................................................. 1.1 Q Q Q 30.6

 Almost Once a Week ................................. 0.7 Q Q Q 39.6

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ...................... 0.8 Q Q Q 59.8

Personal Computer Usage ......................... 35.1 31.9 30.8 35.0 5.2

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours .................................... 8.1 7.6 7.1 8.9 11.5

 2 to 15 Hours ............................................. 17.1 14.0 13.4 15.5 5.4

 16 to 40 Hours ........................................... 6.6 7.9 8.0 7.7 12.3

 On All The Time ........................................ 3.3 2.5 2.2 3.0 19.7

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only .................................... 4.7 4.5 4.3 5.0 16.0

 Business Use Only .................................... 2.1 2.3 2.3 2.4 20.6

 Both Personal and Business ..................... 3.1 3.6 3.7 3.3 14.4

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................................. 2.1 2.3 2.2 2.8 19.2

 Other Business Use .................................. 3.1 3.6 3.8 2.9 14.6

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools ......................................... 43.7 43.2 43.2 43.1 4.0

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time .......................... 12.3 12.0 11.8 12.6 7.9

 Recharged As Needed ............................ 26.6 26.9 27.4 25.6 5.5

 Both Ways are Used ............................... 4.8 4.3 4.0 4.9 10.7

 Don’t Use Any ............................................. 56.3 56.8 56.8 56.9 3.0

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:14 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-10b. Usage Indicators by Midwest Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Midwest Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

East North Central West North Central

0.5 1.0 1.2 1.7

Total .............................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes ............................................................ 7.2 7.2 7.6 6.0 13.5

 No .............................................................. 92.8 92.8 92.4 94.0 1.0

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes ............................................................ 2.4 2.6 2.1 3.9 15.9

 No .............................................................. 97.6 97.4 97.9 96.1 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes ............................................................ 50.6 48.1 48.5 47.3 3.3

 No .............................................................. 49.4 51.9 51.5 52.7 3.1

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes ............................................................ 84.7 91.1 90.7 92.1 1.3

 No .............................................................. 14.5 8.9 9.3 7.9 12.3

 Do Not Heat Home .................................... 0.8 Q Q Q 36.6

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes ............................................................ 44.2 42.9 38.1 54.5 8.9

 No .............................................................. 55.8 57.1 61.9 45.5 7.2

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .................. 11.5 13.1 11.1 17.9 9.5

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 32.7 29.8 27.0 36.6 12.6

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ........................................................... 44.8 41.6 38.2 49.6 4.2

 No ............................................................. 55.2 58.4 61.8 50.4 3.2

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ........................................................... 46.8 40.3 38.1 45.6 4.0

 No ............................................................. 53.2 59.7 61.9 54.4 3.0

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 92.5 96.4 95.5 98.3 0.6

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 3.8 2.8 3.2 2.0 18.1

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 8.1 6.3 5.8 7.4 10.4

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 23.0 26.2 25.6 27.9 4.0

 70 Degrees .............................................. 25.3 25.9 24.5 29.1 4.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 14.5 20.7 21.9 18.0 6.0

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 17.8 14.4 14.6 14.0 9.4

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 2.1 Q Q Q 25.8

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.4 3.6 4.5 Q 16.5

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-10b. Usage Indicators by Midwest Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Midwest Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

East North Central West North Central

0.5 1.0 1.2 1.7

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 83.7 95.1 94.3 97.1 0.8

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 19.4 18.0 16.5 21.4 7.6

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.3 18.0 16.8 20.8 4.7

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 17.8 21.7 20.7 24.2 7.3

 70 Degrees .............................................. 14.6 16.4 17.0 15.2 7.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 7.5 12.7 14.0 9.7 11.0

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 8.1 8.3 9.3 5.9 11.3

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 10.2 0.9 Q Q 19.1

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 6.1 4.0 4.9 Q 16.8

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 87.8 96.5 95.7 98.3 0.6

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 16.2 12.7 12.0 14.1 8.8

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.6 17.4 16.2 20.5 4.5

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 19.3 23.8 22.1 27.9 5.9

 70 Degrees .............................................. 17.3 19.5 19.6 19.1 6.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 8.3 13.1 15.0 8.6 8.1

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 10.1 10.0 10.8 8.2 12.0

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 7.1 Q Q Q 13.3

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.0 3.5 4.3 Q 18.1

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ............................... 47.1 51.4 47.6 60.3 4.2

 All Summer .............................................. 24.3 17.2 14.6 23.3 9.6

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 10.3 14.8 14.9 14.5 9.4

 Only a Few Times ................................... 12.2 19.2 18.1 22.0 7.3

 Not at All .................................................. 0.3 Q Q Q 38.3

 No Central System .................................... 52.9 48.6 52.4 39.7 4.5

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .................. 4.9 6.0 4.5 9.6 14.7

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 13.3 10.5 8.9 14.4 14.9

 Used Only for Heating ............................. 0.4 Q Q Q 43.2

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ..................................... 26.1 27.3 26.7 28.8 7.7

 All Summer .............................................. 5.6 3.9 4.2 3.4 15.2

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 6.5 7.9 8.4 6.9 12.8

 Only a Few Times ................................... 13.3 14.6 13.3 17.6 9.0

 Not at All .................................................. 0.7 0.9 Q Q 27.2

 No Window Units ....................................... 73.9 72.7 73.3 71.2 2.9

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ........................................... 27.9 30.6 31.2 29.2 4.7

 10 to 20 ..................................................... 46.0 45.2 45.2 45.2 2.8

 More than 20 ............................................. 26.0 24.3 23.7 25.7 5.9

 Not Applicable ........................................... 0.2 Q Q Q 67.1

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-10b. Usage Indicators by Midwest Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Midwest Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

East North Central West North Central

0.5 1.0 1.2 1.7

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ..................................... 50.2 46.9 45.3 50.7 3.6

 Less Than 4 Times .................................. 28.3 25.0 24.5 26.1 5.7

 4 to 6 Times ............................................. 12.7 13.2 12.4 15.0 9.1

 At Least Once Each Day ......................... 9.2 8.7 8.4 9.5 11.7

 No Dishwasher .......................................... 49.8 53.1 54.7 49.3 3.3

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer .............................. 77.4 78.9 76.1 85.6 2.0

 1 Load or Less ......................................... 5.2 4.3 4.8 3.2 13.6

 2 to 9 Loads ............................................. 29.4 25.5 24.2 28.4 4.0

 10 to 15 Loads ......................................... 10.0 12.7 12.7 12.7 8.2

 More than 15 Loads ................................ 3.3 4.0 3.4 5.3 10.6

 No Washing Machine ................................ 22.6 21.1 23.9 14.4 7.9

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer .................................... 71.2 75.8 73.0 82.3 2.4

 Every Time Clothes are Washed ............... 56.3 58.3 57.1 61.1 2.5

 Some, but not All, Loads ........................... 12.8 15.9 14.3 19.6 6.9

 Used Infrequently ...................................... 2.1 1.6 1.6 Q 18.0

 No Dryer ...................................................... 28.8 24.2 27.0 17.7 7.4

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day .............................. 6.9 5.3 5.7 4.6 9.1

 2 Times a Day ........................................... 25.3 25.7 25.5 26.1 3.9

 Once a Day ............................................... 41.6 44.8 42.1 51.2 3.4

 A Few Times Each Week .......................... 20.1 19.1 20.7 15.2 5.6

 About Once a Week .................................. 3.0 2.8 3.6 Q 15.0

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 3.0 2.2 2.3 Q 19.6

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day ............................. 8.1 7.2 7.2 7.4 9.9

 Once a Day ............................................... 20.2 19.8 19.8 19.8 7.3

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ...................................... 34.4 38.0 37.8 38.5 3.6

 Once a Week ............................................. 14.9 13.5 13.1 14.4 8.1

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 21.2 20.5 21.5 18.1 5.6

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............................. 83.0 86.9 85.0 91.4 1.5

 Most or All ............................................... 7.2 7.2 7.3 7.1 13.2

 About Half ................................................ 18.2 19.3 19.0 19.9 5.6

 Some or Very Little .................................. 21.9 24.8 25.4 23.4 5.5

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............................ 35.6 35.6 33.3 41.0 6.9

 No Microwave Oven .................................. 17.0 13.1 15.0 8.6 10.5

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-10b. Usage Indicators by Midwest Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

Midwest Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

East North Central West North Central

0.5 1.0 1.2 1.7

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used .......................................................... 25.9 26.1 28.3 21.1 5.4

 Not Used .................................................. 74.1 73.9 71.7 78.9 1.8

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace .................................... 2.7 3.6 4.1 2.5 24.8

 Most Days ................................................. 1.1 1.5 1.5 Q 32.3

 Almost Once a Week ................................. 0.7 Q Q Q 38.0

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ...................... 0.8 Q Q Q 57.4

Personal Computer Usage ......................... 35.1 38.0 38.0 37.9 4.0

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours .................................... 8.1 9.7 10.1 8.6 9.3

 2 to 15 Hours ............................................. 17.1 18.1 16.5 21.8 7.1

 16 to 40 Hours ........................................... 6.6 7.4 8.7 4.2 10.1

 On All The Time ........................................ 3.3 2.9 2.7 3.4 16.4

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only .................................... 4.7 5.2 5.7 4.0 13.1

 Business Use Only .................................... 2.1 2.5 3.0 Q 21.4

 Both Personal and Business ..................... 3.1 2.6 2.7 2.3 21.9

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................................. 2.1 1.7 2.0 Q 21.5

 Other Business Use .................................. 3.1 3.3 3.7 2.5 22.6

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools ......................................... 43.7 46.5 46.3 46.9 3.5

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time .......................... 12.3 13.8 14.3 12.4 8.8

 Recharged As Needed ............................ 26.6 28.5 27.6 30.6 3.6

 Both Ways are Used ............................... 4.8 4.2 4.4 3.9 14.5

 Don’t Use Any ............................................. 56.3 53.5 53.7 53.1 3.0

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:20 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-11b. Usage Indicators by South Census Region, 

 Percent U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

South Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

South Atlantic East South Central West South Central

0.5 0.8 1.2 1.5 1.4

Total .............................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes ............................................................ 7.2 6.2 7.1 4.6 5.6 13.1

 No .............................................................. 92.8 93.8 92.9 95.4 94.4 0.9

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes ............................................................ 2.4 2.1 2.4 Q 1.7 25.7

 No .............................................................. 97.6 97.9 97.6 98.4 98.3 NE

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes ............................................................ 50.6 50.8 49.8 51.6 51.9 2.7

 No .............................................................. 49.4 49.2 50.2 48.4 48.1 2.8

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes ............................................................ 84.7 84.5 86.9 81.7 81.9 2.3

 No .............................................................. 14.5 14.7 11.9 18.1 17.7 11.8

 Do Not Heat Home .................................... 0.8 0.8 Q Q Q 45.8

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes ............................................................ 44.2 44.0 42.0 42.9 48.2 9.4

 No .............................................................. 55.8 56.0 58.0 57.1 51.8 7.4

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .................. 11.5 8.8 8.4 5.4 11.3 13.8

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 32.7 35.3 33.6 37.4 36.9 10.9

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ........................................................... 44.8 42.5 43.1 39.2 43.5 4.3

 No ............................................................. 55.2 57.5 56.9 60.8 56.5 3.2

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ........................................................... 46.8 45.4 45.4 43.3 46.7 4.2

 No ............................................................. 53.2 54.6 54.6 56.7 53.3 3.5

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 92.5 92.1 91.1 93.7 92.9 1.8

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 3.8 2.3 2.1 3.3 2.2 17.6

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 8.1 5.4 5.8 6.6 4.2 13.5

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 23.0 18.0 20.0 16.0 15.7 7.6

 70 Degrees .............................................. 25.3 24.4 23.5 28.9 23.5 5.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 14.5 15.0 14.4 14.4 16.4 7.6

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 17.8 26.9 25.4 24.5 31.0 3.8

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 2.1 2.3 3.7 Q Q 28.1

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.4 5.6 5.2 4.9 6.8 22.8

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:26 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-11b. Usage Indicators by South Census Region, 

 Percent U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

South Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

South Atlantic East South Central West South Central

0.5 0.8 1.2 1.5 1.4

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 83.7 79.9 80.3 82.7 77.7 3.0

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 19.4 16.5 16.5 14.7 17.6 7.6

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.3 12.8 13.9 14.3 10.0 7.6

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 17.8 16.4 16.6 18.3 14.9 7.0

 70 Degrees .............................................. 14.6 15.5 14.0 18.2 16.7 7.1

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 7.5 6.9 6.8 6.9 7.1 11.7

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 8.1 11.9 12.6 10.3 11.5 8.5

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 10.2 13.5 13.6 11.0 14.9 12.6

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 6.1 6.5 6.1 6.3 7.4 21.3

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 87.8 87.4 86.7 88.8 87.7 2.2

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 16.2 12.6 13.5 12.6 10.9 9.5

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.6 13.8 13.5 14.4 13.9 5.6

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 19.3 18.0 18.0 19.2 17.2 7.7

 70 Degrees .............................................. 17.3 19.1 17.1 22.4 20.5 6.6

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 8.3 9.0 9.1 8.1 9.3 10.7

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 10.1 15.0 15.5 12.1 15.9 8.1

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 7.1 7.6 8.3 7.2 6.6 18.3

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.0 5.0 5.0 4.1 5.7 23.2

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ............................... 47.1 69.7 71.7 66.3 68.4 3.2

 All Summer .............................................. 24.3 47.9 45.7 43.4 54.2 5.1

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 10.3 12.1 14.1 13.6 7.7 7.7

 Only a Few Times ................................... 12.2 9.4 11.4 9.3 6.2 15.9

 Not at All .................................................. 0.3 Q Q Q Q 41.1

 No Central System .................................... 52.9 30.3 28.3 33.7 31.6 5.9

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .................. 4.9 6.2 5.4 4.1 9.1 13.7

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 13.3 24.5 23.0 24.4 27.3 10.9

 Used Only for Heating ............................. 0.4 Q Q Q Q 46.3

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ..................................... 26.1 24.3 21.8 30.1 25.0 6.2

 All Summer .............................................. 5.6 9.5 8.0 11.2 11.1 11.1

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 6.5 6.3 5.9 6.1 7.1 11.6

 Only a Few Times ................................... 13.3 8.3 7.6 12.8 6.8 9.9

 Not at All .................................................. 0.7 Q Q Q Q 35.6

 No Window Units ....................................... 73.9 75.7 78.2 69.9 75.0 2.1

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ........................................... 27.9 25.2 24.0 28.3 25.6 5.0

 10 to 20 ..................................................... 46.0 45.0 47.2 44.3 41.8 3.5

 More than 20 ............................................. 26.0 29.5 28.5 27.4 32.5 4.8

 Not Applicable ........................................... 0.2 Q Q Q Q 71.9

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:26 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-11b. Usage Indicators by South Census Region, 

 Percent U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

South Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

South Atlantic East South Central West South Central

0.5 0.8 1.2 1.5 1.4

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ..................................... 50.2 51.5 53.5 42.3 53.4 4.0

 Less Than 4 Times .................................. 28.3 30.0 32.7 21.3 30.6 5.6

 4 to 6 Times ............................................. 12.7 11.7 11.8 12.7 11.0 8.0

 At Least Once Each Day ......................... 9.2 9.7 9.0 8.2 11.8 8.8

 No Dishwasher .......................................... 49.8 48.5 46.5 57.7 46.6 4.0

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer .............................. 77.4 82.0 83.4 86.3 76.9 2.1

 1 Load or Less ......................................... 5.2 4.9 6.2 3.3 3.7 15.6

 2 to 9 Loads ............................................. 29.4 33.0 36.6 31.4 27.5 4.9

 10 to 15 Loads ......................................... 10.0 10.0 8.8 10.7 11.6 8.5

 More than 15 Loads ................................ 3.3 3.2 2.4 3.5 4.6 20.1

 No Washing Machine ................................ 22.6 18.0 16.6 13.7 23.1 9.2

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer .................................... 71.2 74.2 72.9 81.0 72.5 2.5

 Every Time Clothes are Washed ............... 56.3 62.5 61.1 64.4 63.7 3.2

 Some, but not All, Loads ........................... 12.8 10.0 9.5 15.8 7.4 10.3

 Used Infrequently ...................................... 2.1 1.7 2.3 Q Q 23.6

 No Dryer ...................................................... 28.8 25.8 27.1 19.0 27.5 7.2

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day .............................. 6.9 7.2 7.7 5.8 7.1 10.9

 2 Times a Day ........................................... 25.3 25.9 25.1 27.3 26.3 5.7

 Once a Day ............................................... 41.6 37.0 35.3 40.1 38.1 4.8

 A Few Times Each Week .......................... 20.1 23.0 25.6 19.2 20.9 8.6

 About Once a Week .................................. 3.0 3.4 2.6 3.9 4.5 13.0

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 3.0 3.3 3.3 3.6 3.1 17.3

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day ............................. 8.1 10.3 9.0 16.1 9.1 12.5

 Once a Day ............................................... 20.2 23.4 22.5 28.8 21.8 6.5

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ...................................... 34.4 32.9 33.2 27.6 35.5 4.7

 Once a Week ............................................. 14.9 15.6 16.7 13.5 15.1 7.2

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 21.2 16.5 17.2 12.4 17.6 7.9

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............................. 83.0 82.4 83.7 79.3 82.0 2.8

 Most or All ............................................... 7.2 7.2 7.1 5.3 8.5 16.7

 About Half ................................................ 18.2 17.8 17.6 19.5 17.0 5.9

 Some or Very Little .................................. 21.9 19.9 21.7 19.6 17.0 8.1

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............................ 35.6 37.5 37.2 34.9 39.5 5.7

 No Microwave Oven .................................. 17.0 17.6 16.3 20.7 18.0 12.0

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:26 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-11b. Usage Indicators by South Census Region, 

 Percent U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

South Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

South Atlantic East South Central West South Central

0.5 0.8 1.2 1.5 1.4

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used .......................................................... 25.9 30.8 28.1 35.7 32.5 5.1

 Not Used .................................................. 74.1 69.2 71.9 64.3 67.5 2.2

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace .................................... 2.7 3.4 3.0 4.3 3.7 25.7

 Most Days ................................................. 1.1 1.4 1.3 Q Q 23.6

 Almost Once a Week ................................. 0.7 1.0 Q Q Q 40.4

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ...................... 0.8 1.0 Q Q Q 49.3

Personal Computer Usage ......................... 35.1 31.0 32.3 25.2 32.1 5.5

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours .................................... 8.1 7.1 7.3 6.3 7.4 10.6

 2 to 15 Hours ............................................. 17.1 15.9 16.0 14.6 16.5 7.4

 16 to 40 Hours ........................................... 6.6 4.4 5.1 2.3 4.4 12.1

 On All The Time ........................................ 3.3 3.6 3.9 2.0 4.0 18.8

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only .................................... 4.7 4.2 4.4 2.2 5.0 15.7

 Business Use Only .................................... 2.1 1.1 1.4 Q Q 23.9

 Both Personal and Business ..................... 3.1 2.7 3.2 Q 2.4 21.6

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................................. 2.1 1.2 1.1 Q Q 24.7

 Other Business Use .................................. 3.1 2.6 3.5 Q Q 20.6

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools ......................................... 43.7 41.8 41.4 42.9 41.8 3.5

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time .......................... 12.3 12.5 12.8 12.9 11.9 8.4

 Recharged As Needed ............................ 26.6 25.2 25.2 27.1 24.0 5.7

 Both Ways are Used ............................... 4.8 4.1 3.4 2.9 5.9 17.6

 Don’t Use Any ............................................. 56.3 58.2 58.6 57.1 58.2 2.6

NE = RSE row factor not estimated because RSE’s for all statistics in this row are between 0.0 and 1.0 percent.

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:26 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-12b. Usage Indicators by West Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

West Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Mountain Pacific

0.5 1.0 1.7 1.2

Total .............................................................. 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 0.0

Weekday Home Activities

 Home Used for Business

 Yes ............................................................ 7.2 9.0 10.5 8.4 9.8

 No .............................................................. 92.8 91.0 89.5 91.6 0.9

 Energy-Intensive Activity

 Yes ............................................................ 2.4 3.0 2.9 3.0 18.9

 No .............................................................. 97.6 97.0 97.1 97.0 0.8

 Someone Home All Day

 Yes ............................................................ 50.6 51.1 50.6 51.3 3.2

 No .............................................................. 49.4 48.9 49.4 48.7 3.3

Heating

 Thermostat Available

 During Heating Season

 Yes ............................................................ 84.7 81.1 90.6 77.3 1.9

 No .............................................................. 14.5 16.8 9.3 19.8 7.7

 Do Not Heat Home .................................... 0.8 2.1 Q 2.9 18.3

 Set-Back or Clock

 Thermostat in Home

 Yes ............................................................ 44.2 52.2 52.1 52.3 5.5

 No .............................................................. 55.8 47.8 47.9 47.7 5.5

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Heating

 Programming Features Used .................. 11.5 14.6 15.5 14.3 11.3

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 32.7 37.6 36.6 37.9 8.6

 Winter Temperature Settings

 Lower When No One Home

 Yes ........................................................... 44.8 56.2 49.4 58.8 3.2

 No ............................................................. 55.2 43.8 50.6 41.2 3.5

 Lower During Sleeping Hours

 Yes ........................................................... 46.8 60.5 52.9 63.5 2.8

 No ............................................................. 53.2 39.5 47.1 36.5 3.5

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When Someone is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 92.5 88.9 95.1 86.5 1.1

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 3.8 5.6 4.2 6.2 15.9

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 8.1 12.0 8.4 13.4 11.5

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 23.0 21.2 21.5 21.0 5.7

 70 Degrees .............................................. 25.3 26.1 25.5 26.4 4.6

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 14.5 10.4 16.5 8.0 7.8

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 17.8 13.6 19.1 11.5 8.8

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 2.1 5.8 1.8 7.3 17.6

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.4 5.3 Q 6.2 15.0

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:32 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-12b. Usage Indicators by West Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

West Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Mountain Pacific

0.5 1.0 1.7 1.2

 Daytime Winter Temperature

 When No One is at Home

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 83.7 70.5 86.9 64.0 1.5

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 19.4 22.6 20.1 23.5 8.0

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.3 17.2 21.7 15.3 7.3

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 17.8 12.3 15.1 11.3 8.3

 70 Degrees .............................................. 14.6 10.4 14.7 8.7 5.7

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 7.5 3.7 7.6 2.2 11.2

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 8.1 4.4 7.7 3.0 15.5

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 10.2 23.3 9.6 28.7 7.6

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 6.1 6.2 3.5 7.2 14.4

 Winter Temperature

 During Sleeping Hours

 Heat is Turned On ..................................... 87.8 75.2 91.3 68.9 1.3

 63 Degrees or Less ................................. 16.2 22.0 19.1 23.1 6.9

 64 to 66 Degrees .................................... 16.6 17.3 21.1 15.9 7.0

 67 to 69 Degrees ..................................... 19.3 13.1 15.9 12.0 9.5

 70 Degrees .............................................. 17.3 13.0 20.1 10.2 6.8

 71 to 73 Degrees ..................................... 8.3 4.1 6.4 3.3 13.2

 74 Degrees or More ................................ 10.1 5.7 8.7 4.5 14.4

 Heat Turned Off ......................................... 7.1 20.2 6.3 25.6 8.7

 Unknown/No Answer ................................. 5.0 4.6 Q 5.5 14.1

Air-Conditioning

 Central Air-Conditioning Use

 Use a Central System ............................... 47.1 27.6 34.3 25.0 7.8

 All Summer .............................................. 24.3 9.0 16.6 6.0 9.5

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 10.3 6.7 8.5 6.0 14.2

 Only a Few Times ................................... 12.2 11.2 9.0 12.1 13.7

 Not at All .................................................. 0.3 0.7 Q Q 35.7

 No Central System .................................... 52.9 72.4 65.7 75.0 3.8

 Use of Set-Back/Clock

 Thermostat for Cooling

 Programming Features Used .................. 4.9 3.2 5.5 2.4 16.4

 Only Manual Controls Used .................... 13.3 6.0 8.1 5.1 16.4

 Used Only for Heating ............................. 0.4 Q Q Q 45.5

 Window Air-Conditioning Use

 Use Window Units ..................................... 26.1 13.9 15.5 13.2 10.8

 All Summer .............................................. 5.6 2.1 2.3 2.1 17.5

 Quite a Bit ................................................ 6.5 3.0 3.7 2.7 17.7

 Only a Few Times ................................... 13.3 8.1 8.5 8.0 11.8

 Not at All .................................................. 0.7 Q Q Q 34.9

 No Window Units ....................................... 73.9 86.1 84.5 86.8 2.2

Hot Water

 Number of Showers/Baths

 Taken Each Week

 Fewer than 10 ........................................... 27.9 27.9 27.2 28.2 5.2

 10 to 20 ..................................................... 46.0 47.9 49.6 47.3 3.3

 More than 20 ............................................. 26.0 23.9 22.8 24.3 5.6

 Not Applicable ........................................... 0.2 Q Q Q 70.6

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:32 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-12b. Usage Indicators by West Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

West Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Mountain Pacific

0.5 1.0 1.7 1.2

Hot Water (continued)

 Dishwasher Use

 Each Week

 Use a Dishwasher ..................................... 50.2 53.1 57.2 51.5 4.5

 Less Than 4 Times .................................. 28.3 29.5 30.0 29.3 6.2

 4 to 6 Times ............................................. 12.7 14.4 16.4 13.6 8.5

 At Least Once Each Day ......................... 9.2 9.2 10.8 8.6 10.5

 No Dishwasher .......................................... 49.8 46.9 42.8 48.5 5.1

 Loads of Laundry

 Washed Each Week

 Use a Clothes Washer .............................. 77.4 69.5 76.5 66.8 3.4

 1 Load or Less ......................................... 5.2 5.3 3.8 5.8 12.6

 2 to 9 Loads ............................................. 29.4 26.1 25.6 26.3 4.4

 10 to 15 Loads ......................................... 10.0 7.6 10.3 6.5 11.0

 More than 15 Loads ................................ 3.3 2.1 2.7 1.9 18.3

 No Washing Machine ................................ 22.6 30.5 23.5 33.2 9.1

Clothes Dryer Usage

 Use a Clothes Dryer .................................... 71.2 65.1 70.1 63.2 3.9

 Every Time Clothes are Washed ............... 56.3 52.0 52.7 51.8 4.6

 Some, but not All, Loads ........................... 12.8 10.9 13.4 10.0 9.1

 Used Infrequently ...................................... 2.1 2.2 4.1 1.4 16.8

 No Dryer ...................................................... 28.8 34.9 29.9 36.8 8.1

Cooking

 Number of Hot Meals

 Cooked in the Home

 3 or More Times a Day .............................. 6.9 8.5 9.6 8.0 11.4

 2 Times a Day ........................................... 25.3 27.8 28.1 27.7 5.8

 Once a Day ............................................... 41.6 41.8 43.0 41.3 4.5

 A Few Times Each Week .......................... 20.1 17.2 15.1 18.0 6.1

 About Once a Week .................................. 3.0 1.8 Q 1.7 18.5

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 3.0 2.8 2.3 3.0 21.6

 Conventional Oven Use

 More Than Once a Day ............................. 8.1 7.0 5.5 7.6 12.9

 Once a Day ............................................... 20.2 16.0 16.0 15.9 5.8

 Between Once a Day

 and Once a Week ...................................... 34.4 34.5 37.3 33.4 4.8

 Once a Week ............................................. 14.9 13.8 14.8 13.4 6.5

 Less Than Once a Week ........................... 21.2 26.9 25.0 27.7 5.4

 Amount of Food Cooked

 in Microwave Oven

 Use a Microwave Oven ............................. 83.0 83.3 84.2 83.0 1.5

 Most or All ............................................... 7.2 7.8 5.3 8.8 11.6

 About Half ................................................ 18.2 21.3 20.8 21.5 6.5

 Some or Very Little .................................. 21.9 23.4 26.3 22.2 6.6

 Only for Defrosting,

 Reheating, or Snacks ............................ 35.6 30.8 31.7 30.5 5.0

 No Microwave Oven .................................. 17.0 16.7 15.8 17.0 8.1

See footnotes at end of table.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:32 PM on 11/11/99
Table HC6-12b. Usage Indicators by West Census Region, 

 Percent of U.S. Households, 1997 (Continued)

Usage Indicators

RSE Column Factor:

Total

U.S.

West Census Region

RSE

Row

Factors

Total

Census Division

Mountain Pacific

0.5 1.0 1.7 1.2

Lights

 Outdoor Lights on All Night

 Used .......................................................... 25.9 25.0 31.4 22.5 7.3

 Not Used .................................................. 74.1 75.0 68.6 77.5 2.6

Gas Fireplace Usage

During Winter Months

 Use a Gas Fireplace .................................... 2.7 1.9 3.2 1.4 28.1

 Most Days ................................................. 1.1 1.0 Q Q 34.9

 Almost Once a Week ................................. 0.7 Q Q Q 40.0

 Less Than 4 Times a Month ...................... 0.8 Q Q Q 60.4

Personal Computer Usage ......................... 35.1 41.3 39.8 42.0 5.4

 Hours PC Turned

 On Each Week

 Less Than 2 Hours .................................... 8.1 8.2 7.9 8.3 7.1

 2 to 15 Hours ............................................. 17.1 21.0 22.8 20.3 7.0

 16 to 40 Hours ........................................... 6.6 8.0 6.7 8.5 12.0

 On All The Time ........................................ 3.3 4.1 2.3 4.8 15.5

 Use of PCs Turned on 16

 Hours a Week or More

 Personal Use Only .................................... 4.7 5.3 4.5 5.6 13.6

 Business Use Only .................................... 2.1 3.1 2.5 3.3 21.7

 Both Personal and Business ..................... 3.1 3.7 Q 4.4 16.7

 Business Use of PCs Turned

 on 16 Hours a Week or More

 Use to Telecommute ................................. 2.1 3.6 Q 4.2 14.5

 Other Business Use .................................. 3.1 3.2 2.4 3.5 19.2

Battery Operated

Appliances/Tools

 Use Battery Operated

 Appliances/Tools ......................................... 43.7 44.4 46.6 43.6 4.2

 How Maintained When

 Not in Use

 Plugged in All The Time .......................... 12.3 10.5 14.6 8.9 7.2

 Recharged As Needed ............................ 26.6 26.6 27.4 26.3 5.7

 Both Ways are Used ............................... 4.8 7.2 4.6 8.3 10.3

 Don’t Use Any ............................................. 56.3 55.6 53.4 56.4 3.4

Q = Data withheld either because the Relative Standard Error (RSE) was greater than 50 percent or fewer than 10 households were sampled.

Notes: • To obtain the RSE percentage for any table cell, multiply the corresponding column and row factors. • Because of rounding, data may not sum to totals. 

• Percentages are calculated on unrounded numbers. • See "Glossary" for definition of terms used in this report. • All temperatures listed are in degrees Fahrenheit.

Source: Energy Information Administration, Office of Energy Markets and End Use, Forms EIA-457 A, B, C of the 1997 Residential Energy Consumption Survey.

Energy Information Administration/Housing Characteristics 1997

Table Layout at 3:57:32 PM on 11/11/99