Trends in Our Electricity Usage

Electricity powers our lights, heating and cooling systems, pumps, computers, appliances, and a small but growing number of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Even with modest population growth (1,000 gained since 2011), conservation measures and energy efficiency standards have together led to declines in overall use since 2011. Due to the limited business district, commercial electricity usage is about half of residential usage in a given year. Note: The summer of 2014 was one of the hottest summers on record, with an average temperature of 77F. It is believed that additional air-conditioning load created the small spike in electricity use that year.

Trends in Our Natural Gas Usage

Natural gas use is primarily driven by outdoor temperatures: as winters succumb to global warming, we will see declines in natural gas used for heating. Puget Sound Energy (PSE) offers incentives for upgrading natural gas heating systems in residential homes as well as smart thermostats, whole-home insulation, and appliances. In addition, water-saving fixtures and appliances such as energy efficient dishwashers or clothes washers can save gas by reducing hot water demand See: www.pse.com/Rebates PSE periodically runs campaigns on Mercer Island, offering free home energy audits in certain neighborhoods, or you can schedule one yourself anytime. Visit: www.pse.com/EnergyAssessment

Energy Usage Per Mercer Island Resident

By exploring energy usage on a per capita basis,we can see that residents have made major improvements in reducing usage... Compared to the 2007 benchmarks (BLUE target lines), electricity usage in 2016 is down 555 kWh per person, and natural gas usage is down 66 therms per person. These improvements result from a combination of tighter WA State energy codes (e.g. more insulation, energy-efficient appliances, etc) and energy-conserving behavior by residents. Without this past decade of per capita energy savings, the community's overall usage would be much higher today.