The Energy Consumption Of The United States

From the moment we wake up in the morning until the time we go to bed each night, we all use different forms of energy to perform our daily activities. On a daily basis I use energy for transportation to commute to and from work and run errands; for cooking meals using either my gas range, microwave or charcoal grill; for heating my home in the winter and cooling my home in the summer; for daily showering, and for lighting my home in order to be comfortable and productive. Most of the resources we rely on for energy are nonrenewable and will soon be depleted.

Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed 10,000 times. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work,” he said of his method of experimentation. “When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the ways that will work.” Up until the late 1830’s electricity was derived from many non-renewable sources such as coal, oil, and natural gases. These are also known as fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are the major energy sources that are being used in the world today. The production of fossil fuels account for more than one-third of U.S global emissions, which trap heat, steadily drive up the plant’s temperature, and create harmful impacts on our health, our environment, and our climate. Their sources are limited and depleting at a faster

At the beginning of the year the President of the United States announced that the United States was in the middle of a nation wide energy crisis. The President gave many solutions including using more solar and wind energy, nuclear power, and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The President told the American people that they would have to watch their energy use and conserve as much as possible. Gas prices reached $2 per gallon in the Midwest for the second straight summer, and California continued to be hit by unprecedented power woes that forced rolling blackouts. The price of crude oil rose sharply, from around $10 a barrel to a peak of $37. The

Roughly 81% of the energy consumed in the United States in 2015 was produced by fossil fuels including coal, natural gas, and petroleum oil (EIA, “U.S. Energy Facts Explained”). A study on the consequences of coal revealed that the burning of coal produced over 100 million tons of solid waste, and the readying of coal to be burned creates nearly 90 million gallons of slurry, a muddy waste product, in the United States every year (Sierra Club 2011). In 2015, 2,413 petroleum oil spills were reported to have spilled a total of just over 300,000 gallons in U.S. waterways (U.S. Department of Transportation). Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for oil and natural gas can contaminate groundwater, induce earthquakes, and release air pollutants.

From the moment we wake up in the morning and turn our alarm clock off, to the moment we turn the lights off and fall asleep, we are using energy. Throughout the day an average person will use a cell phone, a computer, a television, an oven or microwave, and many will ride in a car or bus: all of this takes energy. Energy is even being used while we sleep to power the same alarm clock that wakes us up each morning. Individuals in first world countries are large consumers of energy, but where does it all come from? What powers most of our modern day conveniences? The United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that as much as eighty-two percent of the United State’s energy demand is met by using fossil fuels (Fossil Fuels), and in 2012, fossil fuels made up eighty-seven percent of the energy consumed worldwide (Gonzalez & Lucky, 2013). What are fossil fuels then?

The charts show changes of different types of energy in the USA between 1980 and 1990.

When we turn on the lights and don’t turn them off , when we leave sinks on when we brush our teeth instead of turning them off until we need them. We are wasting energy by not realizing how much this could affect the environment. Animals, plants, humans, and minerals rely on energy to get the nutrients they need and to help give the plants their strength so they can provide food, flowers and other

If Americans didn't have energy then we wouldn't have cars we wouldn't have stores we wouldn't have really anything. The reason is because most things that we have or use now days use energy or something like that.Then no businesses would be making money and no one would have anything so that's one reason why we Americans need energy.

Many Americans are looking for a way to lose weight by limiting the amount of calories they eat on a daily basis. In General, people feel the urge to eat more when they are running low on energy. More often than not, Americans turn to food as an additional source of energy. In turn, this leads to massive weight gain that can easily be avoided. The key to losing weight fast is to get energy through sources other than food. These alternative sources of energy include sleep and proper hydration. Over 75% of Americans do not get enough sleep on a daily basis. Sleep deprivation creates a massive energy deficit for these unfortunate Americans. Many of these Americans turn to food to replenish their energy levels and keep them going throughout the

In my community, and most other communities in the United States, there is a huge lack in energy conservation, a very pressing issue currently. Large amounts of fossil fuels and fuel emissions are given off daily, but many of the sources of these emissions and harmful chemicals can be prevented if the community puts its mind to it.

What do we know about our energy sources and how our energy choices affect the environment? Many people still do not put much though into this topic or pay any attention to the amount of energy they use or where it comes from. For some it is just willful negligence, but for many others it may be due to a lack of knowledge on the subject. Perhaps it is a good idea to pay closer attention and educate ourselves so we can make informed decisions that may lead to less stress on our wallets and on our environment. In order to make a change, we should observe our currently used energy sources in everyday life, the impact of increasing energy uses, and observe all of the alternative options available to us.

Energy is the ability for something to do work, create heat, or emit light. By this definition, energy can be anything from a sandwich to uranium. However, for the sake of simplification, this essay will focus on the United States’ consumption of fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas), which constitute eighty-six percent of American energy (Lehrman 2). That is a lot of energy, however it becomes an even larger amount when taken into consideration that even though America accounts for only five

Coal and natural gas are the United States’ main fossil fuels used as energy sources. These fossil fuels both contain mixtures of hydrocarbons, which is a chemical compound of carbon and hydrogen (Olah, 2005). Currently, fossil fuels provide eighty-five percent of commercial energy, such as businesses, worldwide and this eighty-five percent does not even account for residential use. Imagine if the residential energy use was accounted for in that eighty-five percent (Davison, 2007). According to Goodell (2006), “Between 1950 and 2000, the world population increased by 140 percent and fossil fuel consumption increased by 400 percent. By 2030, the world’s demand for energy is expected to more than double,” with most of the electricity

Of these two types of energy production, fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal make up about ninety percent of the world’s energy usage. Nuclear power takes up five percent of this equation, with the remaining renewable energy resources splitting

America relies heavily on foreign sources for the energy to run the country. The issue has received much media attention due to the political and economic implications it will have in the near future. This problem could at least be partially solved by using technology that already exists, rather than relying heavily on ones that have yet to come to fruition. America’s energy woes – specifically its reliance on fossil fuels – can be solved by reviving nuclear energy with the use of politics to tackle perceived dangers, technological advancements to make them more feasible, and public outreach to promote acceptance.