K4C

City of Bellevue Environmental Stewardship by the Numbers

Community Energy Usage

Bellevue customers use Puget Sound Energy for all energy needs, except for electricity bought by a few large customers (called “transportation electricity”) and transmitted over PSE’s transmission lines. Transportation electricity is included in the Bellevue emissions inventory. A significant portion of Bellevue’s street lights are owned by PSE. These lights are unmetered and therefore usage is calculated based on the number and wattage of the lamps. All energy data is provided by PSE.

What are the trends in our electricity usage?

Electricity powers our lights, heating and cooling systems, pumps, computers, and appliances. Conservation combined with increased population growth have tended to keep total community use fairly flat since 2011. However, 2014 was one of the hottest summers on record, with an average temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit. As most commercial buildings have air conditioning, the exceptionally long, hot summer likely contributed to the additional 1 million kWh of commercial electricity used in 2014. As you can see from the last chart, the majority (67%) of our community's electricity use is non-residential.

Total Electricity Use in Bellevue (MWh)

Electricity Use by Building Sector (MWh)

Electricity Use by Sector (MWh) 2018

What are the trends in our natural gas usage?

This chart shows a decrease in Natural gas use across commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. Natural gas use is primarily driven by outdoor temperatures. As our winters get warmer they have a decreasing effect on the amount of gas use. PSE offers incentives for upgrading natural gas heating systems in residential homes as well as smart thermostats, whole-home insulation, and appliances. Water-saving fixtures and appliances such as energy efficient dishwashers or clothes washers can save gas by reducing hot water demand. For more information about these rebates, visit https://tinyurl.com/PSErebates

Natural Gas Use by Building Sector (therms)

What are we using per Bellevue resident?

Looking at energy usage on a per capita basis it can be seen that major strides have been made towards reducing usage per resident! Compared to the 2006 benchmark, energy usage in 2016 is down 700 kWh per person and natural gas usage is down 46 therms per person. Without these per capita savings our overall usage would be much higher.

Residential Electricity Use per Capita (kWh)

Residential Natural Gas Use per Capita (therms)

What is our average energy use per square foot?

Energy use per square foot is like a miles per gallon for your car. This metric is called an Energy Use Index (EUI), measured in kilo-BTUs per gross square foot. The average EUI for commercial buildings in Bellevue is shown in this chart, indicating that Bellevue's commercial buildings are above the west coast average of 74.7. (Source: Energy Information Administration, Released May 2016. https://tinyurl.com/CBECSdata)

Commercial Buildings - Energy Use per Square Foot