U.S. Energy Information Administration Independent Statistics & Analysis www.eia.gov

Housing characteristics overview from the 2020 

Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)

Webinar

September 2022

By

Carolyn Hronis, Survey Manager 

D. Ross Beall, Survey Statistician
Agenda

• Introduction

– Data release schedule

• Housing characteristics highlights

• Methodology

• Next steps

• Q&A

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 2
RECS measures the characteristics that contribute to energy 

consumption in primary, occupied housing units

• The 2020 RECS was fielded between September 2020 and April 2021 using selfadministered web and mail questionnaires. 

• The 2020 RECS resulted in the largest responding sample in RECS history, with 

18,496 respondents completing surveys. 

• For the first time, the RECS includes estimates for all 50 states and DC. 

• We collaborated with IMG-Crown and RTI International on the 2020 RECS Household 

Survey. 

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 3
2020 RECS Release Schedule

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 4

Product Release Date

Housing characteristics tables, National and Regional – Group 1 March 2022

Housing characteristics tables, National and Regional – Group 2 May 2022

Housing characteristics tables - State tables

Housing characteristics preliminary public use microdata and 

codebook

Technical documentation

July 2022

Consumption and expenditure tables 

Final complete public use microdata and codebook

Spring 2023
2020 RECS and COVID

• According to the survey, about 30% of households (36 million) had at least 

one person working from home at least one day a week. In Washington, DC, 

nearly 60% of households had one person working from home at least one 

day per week. In West Virginia, less than 15% of households had someone 

working from home.

• Despite people spending more time at home, our supply-side surveys of 

natural gas, electricity, and petroleum product suppliers show residential 

energy use declined by 4% in 2020 from 2019. The warmer winter months in 

2020 reduced heating demand, which typically accounts for about 40% of 

energy use in homes. 

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 5
Highlights from the 2020 RECS Household 

Survey

6
Where can you find these results (and more)? 

www.eia.gov/recs

7 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022
Where can you find these results (and more)? 

www.eia.gov/recs

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 8
Florida and Hawaii had the highest percentage of all-electric 

homes in 2020

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey

9
Single family homes are more likely to use natural gas for 

water heating, mobile homes are more likely to use 

electricity

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 10

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

mobile homes

single-family

detached

single-family

attached

apartments in 2-4

unit buildings

apartments in

buildings with 5 or

more units

Water heating fuel by housing type

percentage of U.S. households

natural gas

propane or 

fuel oil

electricity

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
2020 RECS 

beginning to reveal 

more about 

characteristics of 

single-family homes 

with solar

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 11

2%

9%

1%

5%

5%

4%

3%

3%

3%

1%

4%

6%

4%

3%

1%

more than $150,000

$60,000 to $149,999

$20,000 to $59,999

less than $20,000

2010-2020

1990-2009

1970-1989

1950-1969

before 1950

rent

own

South

West

Midwest

Northeast

U.S. single-family households that reported solar equipment (2020)

percentage of U.S. single-family households within each category

census 

region

year of 

construction

owner/renter

status

household 

income

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
More than three-quarters of electric vehicle owners reported 

that they charged their electric vehicle at home

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 12
Households using LED lights for most or all of their 

lighting increased from 4% in 2015 to 47% in 2020

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 13

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Use of internet streaming devices increased from 29% of 

homes in 2015 to 56% in 2020

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 14

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
About 40 million households had smart speakers in 2020

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 15

smart speakers

control another device

control lights

control temperature

control security

control TV

control other

Presence and usage of smart speakers

percentage of U.S. households

32%

14%

8%

4%

6%

8%

1%

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Half of homes in the West North Central division had 

separate freezers

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 16

Pacific

Mountain South

Mountain North

West South Central

East South Central

South Atlantic

West North Central

East North Central

Middle Atlantic

New England

Households with separate freezers

percentage of U.S. households

26%

27%

40%

51%

30%

41%

35%

42%

28%

25% Mountain North contains MT, ID, WY, UT, and CO. 

Mountain South contains NV, AZ, and NM. 

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
31% of households reported that their main heating 

equipment was 15 years old or older

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 17

0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

very-cold/cold

mixed-humid

mixed-dry/hot-dry

hot-humid

marine

Presence and age of heating equipment by climate region

percentage of U.S. households

older than 15 years old newer than 15 years old no equipment

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Near 90% of households used air conditioning in 2020

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 18

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Programmable or smart thermostats were used in 53% of 

households

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 19

Type of thermostat used to control household temperature

percentage of U.S. households

10%

10%

programmable 

thermostat smart (or 

internetconnected) 

thermostat

no heating or 

cooling (1%)

no thermostat

42%

36%

manual or nonprogrammable 

thermostat

Only one-third of 

households with 

programmable or smart 

thermostats actually 

use the programmable 

or smart capabilities to 

control the 

temperature. 

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Households with higher incomes were more likely to have 

backup generation

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 20

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

less than $30,000

$30,000-$49,999

$50,000-$74,999

$75,000-$149,999

$150,000 or more

Power outages and backup equipment by household income

percentage of U.S. households

experienced 

power 

outages

had a backup

generator

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
27% of households experienced energy insecurity in 2020

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 21

Data source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Where can you find microdata to do your own analysis? 

22 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022
Methodology

23
Where can you find technical details on our survey 

methods? 

24 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022
We selected a representative sample from a list of housing 

unit addresses in each state

• The survey frame is based on the USPS Computerized Delivery Sequence 

File, which covers 99.6% of eligible RECS addresses in the United States. 

• We selected a sample of addresses to represent the 123.5 million occupied, 

primary residences in the 50 states and DC. 

• Our 2020 RECS sampling method changed from what was used for the 

2015 RECS.

– The 2015 RECS used a multistage sample to select addresses. This method allowed for 

geographic clustering, which is needed to make cost-efficient in-person interviewer 

assignments. 

– The 2020 RECS used an unclustered sample design because the survey was selfadministered.

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 25
The 2020 RECS adopted an entirely self-administered 

questionnaire

• The questionnaire design process included:

– Reviewing content from 2015 RECS

– Adding and dropping questions based on current household technologies

– Soliciting data user input

– Pretesting most of the new or substantially revised questions 

• Households completed the RECS questionnaire using one of two selfadministered methods: web or mail

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We filled missing responses using hot deck imputation

• We used item imputation to fill in missing values in the data set. 

– Variables imputed: 263

– Median imputation rate: 3.0%

• Hot-deck imputation method was used, meaning that a recipient household 

was matched with a similar donor household and borrowed its value. 

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

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Responding cases are assigned weights to represent entire 

population of primary, occupied housing units

• Weights are calculated for each responding housing unit. 

• The sum of all weights is 123.53 million, which is the total number of U.S. 

primary, occupied housing units in 2020. 

• If you’re using the public microdata file, use the NWEIGHT variable. 

– If you’re not sure how to do this, you can review our documentation or ask us how to 

accurately use the weights. 

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

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Next steps

29
2020 RECS consumption and expenditures estimates are 

coming in 2023

• Finish processing billing data from the Energy Supplier Survey. 

• Produce consumption and expenditures estimates.

• Complete end-use modeling tasks.

• Release final data file with consumption and expenditures data and updated 

characteristics data. 

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 30
We are exploring options for the next RECS

• Increased frequency and timeliness.

• Similar design to 2020, 50-state sample, all self-administered.

• Explore opportunities to expand our Residential Demand Program.

– Puerto Rico and territories? Multifamily building study? Community estimation?

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

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Q&A

32
Contact us

• www.eia.gov/recs

• Carolyn Hronis, Survey Manager

– eiainfoconsumption&efficiency@eia.gov

• D. Ross Beall, Survey Statistician

– eiainfoconsumption&efficiency@eia.gov

2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 

September 2022 33