EIA projects air-conditioning energy use to grow faster than any other use in buildings

In the Annual Energy Outlook 2020 (AEO2020) Reference case, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects that delivered energy for air conditioning will increase more than any other end use in residential and commercial buildings (also known as the buildings sector) through 2050, while energy consumption for space heating will decline. Higher residential and commercial energy consumption for air conditioning and lower energy consumption for space heating result from projected population shifts from colder to warmer parts of the United States, assumptions of warmer weather, and regional differences in sector growth.

