Did you know that the energy we use at home only accounts for a quarter of the total energy used in the UK? The remaining three-quarters is attributable to business and transport energy. Let’s have a look at which sectors use the most energy and which utilities sources they use:
How is energy measured?
To compare sectors effectively, we will use the ‘KTOE’ unit, which means ‘kilotonne of oil equivalent’. All information comes from the Office of National Statistics in a report published in July 2018.
The results
– Private offices – 3,539 ktoe
– Chemical manufacturing – 2,874 ktoe
– Hospitality – 2,458 ktoe
– Food products manufacturing – 2,242 ktoe
– Hospitals – 2,237 ktoe
– Non-metallic mineral manufacturing – 1,924 ktoe
– Basic metals manufacturing – 1,489 ktoe
– Rubber and plastic manufacturing – 1,442 ktoe
– Small shops – 1,376 ktoe
– Paper products manufacturing – 1,297 ktoe
The results show that an abundance of small machines appears to be less energy efficient than large, industrial machines. Private offices containing computers, photocopiers, network hubs, projectors and phones burn the most energy, whilst the manufacturing of paper to stock these offices creates the least. The intensive heat required for chemical processing places it high in the list, whereas simpler industrial processes such as rubber weigh in at substantially lower energy rates. Even small business energy prices have a large influence on the UK’s consumption.
Source