Manufacturing Excels in Environmental, Health, and Safety Initiatives

The Industrial Sector Uses Energy Efficiency to Produce More With Less

While the industrial sector is the largest consumer of energy, its energy consumption in 2013 was close to its level of consumption in 1975 despite the fact that industrial output increased by 149% over the same period. Energy use in other sectors, however, increased almost steadily. Improved energy efficiency and corporate energy reduction strategies, coupled with a changing mix of industrial activity, explain why the industrial sector's overall energy use remains near its level from four decades ago. The trend in industrial energy use contrasts sharply with the consumption trends in the transportation, residential, and commercial sectors. For example, energy consumption rose by 44% in the residential sector and the commercial and transportation sectors saw increases of 48% and 90%, respectively.