results in table 1 show that the difference in 

comparable total expenditures for selected 

energy items reported by the two surveys 

for the 2 years compared was less than 10 

percent. In 2005, the CE reported $204.5 

billion in spending for electricity, natural 

gas, fuel oil, and bottled gas (liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)) compared with $191.6 

billion reported by the RECS, a difference of 

7 percent. 

As shown in table 1, the CE-RECS ratios are 

relatively stable over the years 2001 and 

2005 and the CE estimates are consistently 

higher, with the exception of the estimates 

for fuel oil and LPG. Among the energy 

components, CE-RECS ratios were higher 

for electricity and natural gas and lower for 

fuel oil and LPG, which dropped from 0.99 

in 2001 to 0.71 in 2005. The 91-percent 

increase from 2001 to 2005 in the RECS 

estimate for fuel oil and LPG exceeded the 

36-percent increase reported by the CE and 

This report compares spending on selected 

household energy items as measured by 

the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) and by the 

Residential Energy Consumption Survey 

(RECS), sponsored by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy. The CE data are compared 

with the RECS data for 2001 and 2005. 

(RECS data for 2005, published in 2009, are 

the most recent available.) 

There are many differences between the 

CE and the RECS and adjustments were 

made to the data from both surveys to 

make them more comparable for this analysis. (See the section on Methods for Comparison below.) After the adjustments, the 

Current Price Topics

Household energy

spending: 

two surveys compared

1

Consumer Expenditure Survey

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics November 2010 Volume 1, Number 12

Table 1. Aggregate consumer expenditures on energy, total and selected household energy 

items, adjusted for renters energy costs, Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) and Residential 

Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), 2001 and 2005

[In billions of nominal dollars]

YEAR

Total Electricity Natural gas Fuel oil and liquefied 

petroleum gas 

CE RECS CE- RECS 

ratio CE RECS CE- RECS ratio CE RECS CE- RECS ratio CE RECS CE-RECS Ratio

2005 $204.5 $191.7 1.07 $134.3 $121.1 1.11 $55.2 $49.2 1.12 $15.1 $21.4 0.71

2001 166.7 153.4 1.09 110.5 97.2 1.14 45.1 44.7 1.01 11.1 11.2 0.99
2

accounted for the decline in the ratio. The 

small sample size of households using fuel 

oil and LPG could explain the volatility of 

the ratios for these fuels.

Chart 1 shows the total expenditures reported by the CE and the RECS for selected 

energy items. The CE aggregate expenditure estimates for electricity consistently 

exceed those reported by the RECS. Aggregate electricity expenditures account for 66 

percent of total energy expenditures in the 

CE and 63 percent of the total in the RECS in 

both years. 

Features of the Surveys

Many key elements distinguish the two surveys:

• The CE is a comprehensive survey that collects data on all household expenditures and 

financial data, whereas the RECS is a specialpurpose survey that collects specific data on 

household energy use and spending.

• Some consumers receive assistance paying their utility bills. Both the CE and the RECS 

report the utility amount cost regardless of the 

actual out-of-pocket expenditure. 

• The CE energy data are based upon expenditure information provided by survey 

respondents who are interviewed about their 

utility bills every 3 months over a 12-month 

period. The RECS data are obtained from the 

administrative records of energy providers to 

the sample-housing unit. The RECS procedure 

involves a field representative visiting the 

unit and conducting a 45-minute interview to 

collect information regarding demographic 

 C U R R E N T P R I C E T O P I C S

$0

$20

$40

$60

$80

$100

$120

$140

$160

2001 2005 2001 2005 2001 2005

Electricity Natural gas Fuel oil and LPG

Billions of dollars

Consumer Expenditure Survey Residential Energy Consumption Survey 

Chart 1. Residential Energy Expenditures, Consumer Expenditure Survey

and Residential Energy Consumption Survey, 2001 and 2005
3

characteristics of the occupants and physical 

characteristics of the housing unit. The interviewer also collects detailed data regarding 

how the various types of energy are used within the home for appliances, heating, cooling, 

and so forth. At the conclusion of the interview, 

the field representative asks the respondent to 

sign an authorization form allowing the various 

energy providers to the housing unit to release 

all associated consumption and expenditure 

data to the EIA. 

• Both surveys sample a similar population 

with a few technical differences. Neither survey 

samples institutionalized populations. The 

RECS does sample housing units other than 

barracks that are located on military bases; the 

CE does not. Additionally, the RECS measures 

spending by household1 as defined by the 

U.S. Census Bureau whereas the CE measures 

spending by consumer units (CUs).2 Because 

there can be multiple CUs per household, the 

total number of households reported by the 

RECS is smaller than the total number of CUs reported by the CE. For 2005, the RECS collected 

4,381 annual interviews and the CE collected 

approximately 7,500 interviews each quarter. 

Both have similar response rates.

• The CE and RECS treat renters whose rent 

payments include home energy costs differently. The CE does not attempt to estimate the 

cost of home energy included in the rent and 

assigns the total contract rental payment to 

the rent of dwellings category. In 2005, 13.9 

percent of all renters in the CE reported that 

electricity was included in their rental payment; 18.9 percent reported that natural 

gas was included. In contrast, the RECS field 

representatives visit rental agents or building management to determine the actual 

energy expenditures attributable to the 

sampled rented housing unit. 

• The CE apportions energy costs from 

homeowners’ association, cooperative, and 

condominium fees where owners of such 

housing units pay for utilities such as electricity, natural gas, water, and so forth as 

part of the organizations’ monthly fee. In 

contrast, RECS works with building management and service providers to estimate the 

energy expenditures for individual housing 

units. 

• The CE collects energy expenditure data 

attributable to vacation and second homes 

whereas the RECS does not. 

• The RECS is conducted once every 4 

years, whereas the CE is a continuous survey. 

Methods for Comparison

For the purposes of this report, the published 

CE data were first adjusted to make them 

more comparable with the RECS published 

expenditure data. Since RECS does not collect vacation home data, the comparison 

above excludes expenditures reported by 

the CE for owned or rented vacation homes. 

The CE collects data for all energy types 

including coal, wood, and other fuels. The 

RECS collects expenditure data for electricity, 

natural gas, fuel oil, LPG, and kerosene. Due 

 C U R R E N T P R I C E T O P I C S
to a coding change implemented by the CE 

in 2005, it is no longer possible to identify 

kerosene expenditures in the CE data. For 

continuity and comparability, coal, wood, 

and kerosene expenditures from both surveys were excluded for both years. Coal, 

wood, and kerosene constitute a very small 

portion of energy spending in both years.

The RECS data were also adjusted to remove energy expenditures paid indirectly 

through rent. Variables identifying how 

renters paid for their energy components 

became available in the 2001 RECS microdata. Table 1 contains the 2001 and 2005 

results less the amount the RECS estimated 

renters paid implicitly through rental contracts. Because contract rents and utilities 

paid indirectly cannot be adjusted out in 

4

Notes

1

 Household—includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of 

rooms, or a single room that is occupied (or if vacant, is intended for occupancy) as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters 

are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from the 

outside of the building or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families 

living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. (People not living in households are 

classified as living in group quarters.)

2

 Consumer unit—A consumer unit comprises either: (1) all members of a particular household who are related by blood, marriage, 

adoption, or other legal arrangements; (2) a person living alone or sharing a household with others or living as a roomer in a private 

home or lodging house or in permanent living quarters in a hotel or motel, but who is financially independent; or (3) two or more 

persons living together who use their income to make joint expenditure decisions. Financial independence is determined by the three 

major expense categories: Housing, food, and other living expenses. To be considered financially independent, at least two of the three 

major expense categories have to be provided entirely, or in part, by the respondent.

 C U R R E N T P R I C E T O P I C S

previous years, the RECS data cannot be 

made similarly comparable with the CE 

data in the years prior to 2001.

This study is part of the on-going BLS effort to compare CE data with other federal sources of expenditure and income 

data. Other studies include comparing 

CE income data with the Current Population Survey, aggregate expenditures with 

Personal Consumption Expenditures from 

the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 

and medical expenditures with the Medical 

Expenditure Panel Survey and the National 

Health Expenditure Accounts. 

Questions? Please contact the Consumer Expenditure Survey program at cexinfo@bls.gov or 

(202) 691-6900.