| Description of Detailed
Tables --1999
Column
Categories
Row
Categories
The first set of detailed
tables for the 1999 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS)
consists of building characteristics tables B1 through B39, which contain
the number of buildings and amount of floorspace for major building
characteristics. Tables B1 and B2 of this set are summary tables. Tables
B3 through B16 address location, building size, year constructed, number
of workers, hours of operation, and types of occupancy. Tables B17 through
B27 contain data about the energy sources used for all end uses and for
specific major end uses. Tables B28 through B39 contain data about percent
of floorspace heated, cooled, and lit, and energy-using equipment types
(heating, cooling, refrigeration, water heating, and
lighting).
The second set of tables consists of energy
consumption and expenditures tables C1 through C26, which present detailed
energy consumption and expenditure data for buildings in the commercial
sector. These tables are grouped into major fuel tables (Tables C1 through
C8) and specific fuel tables. The specific fuel tables consist of Tables
C9 through C14 for electricity, Tables C15 through C20 for natural gas,
Tables C21 through C24 for fuel oil, and Tables C25 and C26 for district
heat.
Column
Categories The column categories most
commonly classify data by building characteristics or by consumption and
expenditures. The following data items, listed in alphabetical order, are
explanations of some of the column categories found in the set of energy
consumption and expenditures tables that may require clarification.
Conditional Energy Intensity—The amount of
electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, or district heat used per square foot
in only buildings using the specified energy source. For example,
in consumption and expenditures Table C11, data in the row labeled
“Education” under “Principal Buiding Activity” and in the column labeled
“Northeast” under “Electricity Energy Intensity” would be interpreted: “In
1999, education buildings in the Northeast that used electricity as an
energy source used 8.2 kilowatthours of electricity per square
foot.”
Distribution of Building-Level Intensities—The
amount of energy used per square foot, divided into three percentiles:
25th, median, and 75th. In Table C10, for example,
the row labeled “Over 500,000” under “Building Floorspace” and in the
column labeled “25th Percentile” under “Distribution of
Building-Level Intensities” would be interpreted: “In 1999, 25 percent of
buildings in the U.S. over 500,000 square feet in size used 8.9
kilowatthours per square foot or less. (75 percent of the buildings used
more than 8.9 kilowatthours of electricity per square foot.)”
Electricity—Site electricity. (See “site electricity”
and “primary electricity” in this listing.)
Energy
Intensity—Usually defined as “gross energy intensity” or “conditional
energy intensity” in title of table. If table title does not specify,
“energy intensity” is to be defined as “conditional energy intensity.”
Floorspace—The enclosed area in a building; the sum
of the floorspace in all buildings in a category.
Gross
Energy Intensity—The ratio of the total amount of energy consumed by a
group of buildings to the total floorspace of those buildings, including
buildings and floorspace where the energy source is not used. For example,
in Table C5, data in the row category “Education” under “Principal
Building Activity” and in the column category of “Northeast” under “Energy
Intensity for Sum of Major Fuels” would read: “In 1999, education
buildings in the Northeast consumed 90.0 thousand Btu per square foot.”
Major Fuel—Major energy sources: electricity, natural
gas, fuel oil, and district heat (district steam or district hot water).
Although electricity is technically not a fuel, “Major Fuel,” rather than
“Major Energy Source,” was retained as the title of this category to
facilitate comparison of previous CBECS data.
Primary
Electricity—Site electricity plus the losses associated with the
generation and transmission of the electricity. Most of the tables present
statistics for site consumption alone, but Tables C1 and C9 also provide
consumption statistics for primary electricity.
Site
Electricity—The amount of electricity delivered to the commercial
building. This amount excludes losses associated with the generation and
transmission of the electricity. (See “primary electricity” in this
listing.) Most of the tables in this section provide statistics for site
electricity alone (not for primary electricity). When the term
“electricity” is used, the reference is to site electricity.
Total of Major Fuels—The sum of site electricity,
natural gas, fuel oil, and district heat. Statistics in this column
exclude data from the column “Primary Electricity.”
Row Categories
The row categories classify
data by specific features, such as principal building activity or energy
sources used. Data in the row categories relate to the buildings having
such a feature, not to the amount of energy used by a feature. For
example, in consumption and expenditures Table C1, the data in the “Major
Fuels” column and the row category “Buildings with Cooling” under “Energy
End Uses” is to be interpreted as “Buildings with cooling consumed 5,344
trillion Btu of the major fuels” (not “5,344 trillion Btu of the
major fuels were used for cooling”). Tables C1 through 26 contain no data
on the energy consumption for cooling specifically. Estimates of energy
used for specific end uses will be published in early
2003.
Below are explanations of some of the row categories
found in the tables that may require clarification. These terms are listed
in the order in which they occur in the tables.
All
Buildings—All roofed and walled structures whose principal activities
are nonresidential, nonagricultural, and nonindustrial and that are larger
than 1,000 square feet (roughly twice the size of a two-car garage).
Principal Building Activity—A classificaiton of the
activity that occupies the most floorspace in the buildings. Some building
types are combined in the tables. For example, inpatient and outpatient
health care facilities were combined as “health care buildings,”
refrigerated and non-refrigerated warehouses were combined as
“warehouses,” and skilled nursing care buildings were included in
“lodging.” See “Description
of types of buildings” for a full description of the principal
building activity categories.
Census Region and
Division—The geographical areas as defined by the U.S. Bureau of
Census. See “Census Regions
and Divisions map” for a map that shows the four Census Regions and
nine Census Divisions.
Climate Zone—The five U.S.
climate zones are based on the average number of cooling degree-days (CDD)
and heating degree-days (HDD) in a 45-year period (1931-1975). See “U.S. Climate
Zone map” for a map that shows the five U.S. climate zones.
Vacancy
Status—This is a new row stub for the 1999 CBECS. “Completely Vacant”
buildings are those that are 100 percent vacant; “Mostly Vacant” buildings
are those in which the majority of the floorspace is vacant; “Partially
Vacant” are those in which some (but not a majority) of the floorspace is
vacant or some portion of the building was vacant for at least three
consecutive months in 1999; and “Not At All Vacant” are those in which no
portion of the building was reported as vacant in
1999.
Energy Sources—Buildings using a specific type
of energy (electricity, natural gas, fuel oil, district heat [district
steam or district hot water], district chilled water, propane, and any
other type of energy [wood, coal, or solar]). The energy consumption and
expenditures tables contain actual consumption data for the first four
sources only. Estimates of the amount of wood burned in buildings were
obtained during the personal interviews with building respondents. No
consumption data were collected for propane, coal, solar energy, or other
renewable sources because such a collection effort would not be feasible.
Energy End Uses—Buildings that had specific end uses
(heating, air-conditioning, water heating, cooking, and manufacturing),
not the amount of energy consumption or expenditures for a particular end
use.
Space-Heating Energy Sources—Buildings using at
least one of the major fuels, propane, wood, or any other energy source
for space heating. (In some tables, this category is subdivided into “Main
and Secondary Energy Sources.”) Tables C1 through C26 contain no data on
the amount of energy consumption or expenditures for space heating
specifically. Tables providing information on the amount of electricity or
natural gas used specifically for space heating will be published in early
2003.
Primary Space-Heating Energy Source—Buildings
using a specific energy source to heat most of the square footage in the
building most of the time. Tables C1 through C26 contain no specific data
on the amount of energy consumption or expenditures for space heating.
Tables providing information on the amount of electricity or natural gas
used specifically for space heating will be published in early 2003.
Cooling Energy Source—Buildings using electricity,
natural gas, or district chilled water for cooling. Tables C1 through C26
contain no specific data on the amount of energy consumption or
expenditures for cooling. Tables providing information on the amount of
electricity specifically used for cooling will be published in early 2003.
Water-Heating Energy Source—Buildings using one of
the major fuels or propane for water heating. Tables C1 through C26
contain no specific data on the amount of energy consumption or
expenditures for water heating. Tables providing information on the amount
of electricity or natural gas used specifically for water heating will be
published in early 2003.
Cooking Energy
Source—Buildings using electricity, natural gas, or propane for
cooking. Tables C1 through C26 contain no data specific on the amount of
energy consumption or expenditures for cooking. Tables providing
information on the amount of electricity or natural gas specifically used
for cooking will be published in early 2003.
Specific questions on these products may be
directed to:
- Contact:
- Joelle Michaels
- joelle.michaels@eia.doe.gov
- CBECS Manager
- Phone: (202) 586-8952
- FAX: (202) 586-0018
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