The US is set to break records for electricity use in 2024 and 2025. More homes and businesses are using power for cooling, heating, and other needs.
Data centers and factories are also using more electricity.
The numbers are big. In 2024, Americans may use 4,101 billion kilowatt-hours of power. That could jump to 4,185 billion in 2025. These figures top the old record from 2022.
Why the rise? A few key reasons:
- More data centers
- Growing manufacturing
- Electric cars and buses
- Buildings switching to electric systems
- Extreme weather pushing up AC and heating use
Let’s break down who’s using all this power:
| User Type | 2024 Forecast (billion kWh) |
|---|---|
| Homes | 1,503 |
| Businesses | 1,413 |
| Industries | 1,039 |
To meet this demand, power companies are adding new sources.
Solar power is growing fast. In the first half of 2024, it made up almost 60% of new power plants.
Texas led the way, adding 16 billion kilowatt-hours of solar. California came in second with 9 billion.
Natural gas is still a big player. It’s expected to make up 42% of US electricity in 2024. But that might drop to 39% by 2025.
Coal use is slowly going down too. It’ll likely fall from 17% in 2023 to 16% in 2024 and 2025.
Clean energy is on the rise:
- 2023: 21% of power from renewables
- 2024: 23% from renewables
- 2025: 25% from renewables
Nuclear power is holding steady at 19%.
Natural gas use is changing too:
- Homes: Staying at 12.3 billion cubic feet per day
- Businesses: Going up to 9.3 billion cubic feet daily
- Power plants: Rising to 36.1 billion cubic feet a day
- Factories: Dropping to 23.2 billion cubic feet daily
These trends show how the US power grid is changing. More solar panels are popping up. Factories are using less gas. And overall, Americans are using more electricity than ever before.
