Average U.S. electricity customer interruptions totaled nearly 8 hours in 2017

Electric power for U.S. customers was interrupted for an average of 7.8 hours (470 minutes) in 2017, nearly double the average total duration of interruptions experienced in 2016. More major events such as hurricanes and winter storms occurred in 2017, and the total duration of interruptions caused by major events was longer. Excluding major events, the average duration of interruptions customers experienced was almost identical in 2016 and 2017, at about 2 hours in both years. In 2017, the average customer experienced 1.4 interruptions counting major events and 1.0 interruption excluding major events. More »

U.S. crude oil and natural gas proved reserves set new records in 2017

High prices and continued development of shale and tight resources drove proved reserves of both U.S. crude oil and natural gas to new records in 2017, according to EIA’s recently released U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Proved Reserves report. Proved reserves of U.S. crude oil increased 19.5% from the end of 2016, reaching 39.2 billion barrels and surpassing the previous peak level of 39.0 billion barrels set in 1970. Proved reserves of natural gas increased 36.1% from the end of 2016 to reach 464.3 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2017, surpassing the previous record of 388.8 Tcf set in 2014. More »

Japan has restarted five nuclear power reactors in 2018

Shikoku Electric Power Co. restarted the 890 megawatt (MW) Ikata-3 reactor in Japan’s Ehime Prefecture at the end of October, the fifth nuclear reactor in Japan to be restarted in 2018. Japan had suspended its nuclear fleet in 2013 for mandatory safety checks and upgrades following the 2011 Fukushima accident, and before 2018 only four reactors had been restarted. More »

High gasoline inventories help drive U.S. refining margins to five-year lows

Flattening year-over-year growth in gasoline demand in the United States, combined with high levels of refinery output, have contributed to low or negative motor gasoline refining margins for refiners along the East and Gulf Coasts. Gasoline refining margins—the difference between the spot price of gasoline and the Brent crude oil spot price—have been on a downward trend since August, and these margins have been at some of their lowest October and November levels in the past five years. At the same time, strong growth in distillate demand has driven increased distillate prices and refining margins. More »

New projects expected to reverse Gulf of Mexico natural gas production declines

Natural gas production in the U.S. Federal Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has been declining for nearly two decades. However, 10 new natural gas production fields are expected to start producing natural gas in 2018 and another 8 are expected to start producing in 2019, according to information reported to the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. These new field starts may slow or reverse the long-term decline in GOM production. The 16 projects starting in 2018 and 2019 have a combined natural gas resource estimate of about 836 billion cubic feet. More »

U.S. average gasoline prices this Thanksgiving are higher than the previous three years

Heading into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, U.S. retail regular-grade gasoline averaged $2.61 per gallon (gal), up 4 cents/gal from the same time last year. This year marks the highest gasoline price for the Monday before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend since 2013. More »

Thanksgiving and Black Friday have unique electricity demand patterns

Hourly electricity usage on Thanksgiving and the following day (Black Friday) tend to have different demand patterns from other weekdays. On a typical weekday in November, electricity usage tends to have two peaks: a morning peak and a slightly higher evening peak. On Thanksgiving, electricity demand tends to be highest late morning, as families cook meals and gather to celebrate the holiday. And because most businesses are closed, overall electricity demand on Thanksgiving Day tends to be lower. More »

Thanksgiving week: EIA data highlight how energy is used in the kitchen

As Thanksgiving nears, households across the nation are firing up their stoves, cooktops, and ovens to prepare their feasts. According to the latest data from EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), electricity is the most common fuel used for cooking, with 74.9 million households (63%) using electricity in a stove, cooktop, or oven. The cooking fuel a household uses is often the same fuel it uses to heat the home: 59% of households reported using the same type of fuel for cooking as for main space heating. More »

The Wolfcamp play has been key to Permian Basin oil and natural gas production growth

Space heating and water heating were the top two energy-consuming uses in U.S. homes in 2015, according to EIA’s latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). Space heating consumption can vary considerably by climate and building characteristics, while variation in water heating consumption is driven primarily by the number of occupants in a home. Households use a variety of fuels for space heating and water heating, which affects these end-use shares of household energy expenditures. More »

Total U.S. natural gas stocks end refill season at lowest level in 13 years

Working natural gas in underground storage in the Lower 48 states as of October 31, 2018, totaled 3,208 billion cubic feet (Bcf), according to interpolated data from EIA’s Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report released on November 8. Inventory levels for the Lower 48 states and in each of the U.S. natural gas regions ended the refill season at their lowest levels since October 2005, and these levels were considerably lower than their previous five-year averages. Although the natural gas storage injection, or refill, season is traditionally defined as April 1 through October 31, additional injections may occur into November. More »

U.S. crude oil and natural gas production increased in 2017, with fewer wells

The total number of wells producing crude oil and natural gas in the United States fell to 991,000 in 2017, down from a peak of 1,039,000 wells in 2014. This recent decline in the number of wells reflects advances in technology and drilling techniques. EIA’s updated U.S. Oil and Natural Gas Wells by Production Rate report shows how daily production rates of individual wells contributed to U.S. total crude oil and natural gas production in 2017. More »

Renewable diesel is increasingly used to meet California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard

Renewable diesel net supply to California’s fuel market has increased since the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program went into effect in 2011, reaching 100 million gallons during the second quarter of 2018, or 10.1% of the total diesel supplied to California that quarter. The LCFS program, which is administered by the California Air Resources Board, sets standards to incrementally decrease the carbon intensity of motor gasoline and diesel fuel by at least 10% by 2020 relative to a 2010 baseline. More »

Water withdrawals by U.S. power plants have been declining

Water withdrawals by U.S. thermoelectric power plants reached 52.8 trillion gallons in 2017, continuing a decline in withdrawal volumes since 2014. The water intensity of total U.S power generation—the average amount of water withdrawn per unit of total net electricity generated—fell from 15.1 gallons per kilowatthour in 2014 to 13.0 gallons per kilowatthour in 2017. More »

Electricity residential retail choice participation has declined since 2014 peak

In states with residential retail choice programs, customers can elect to purchase their electricity directly from their choice of energy suppliers, with the electricity delivered to them by their local utility. The number of customers participating in retail choice programs peaked at 17.2 million customers (13% of total residential customers) in 2014 and has since declined, reaching 16.2 million customers (12% of the national total) in 2016 and 16.7 million customers (13% of the national total) in 2017. More »

Space heating and water heating account for nearly two thirds of U.S. home energy use

Space heating and water heating were the top two energy-consuming uses in U.S. homes in 2015, according to EIA’s latest Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS). Space heating consumption can vary considerably by climate and building characteristics, while variation in water heating consumption is driven primarily by the number of occupants in a home. Households use a variety of fuels for space heating and water heating, which affects these end-use shares of household energy expenditures. More »

Winter begins with higher U.S. heating oil and propane prices

U.S. residential heating oil and propane prices at the start of the 2018–2019 winter heating season were 23% and 4% higher, respectively, than at the start of the last heating season. During the winter months (October–March), EIA conducts weekly surveys of residential heating oil and propane prices for many states through the State Heating Oil and Propane Program (SHOPP). More »

Midwest propane inventories enter winter higher than previous five-year average

Propane inventories in the Midwest United States had been lower than the previous five-year average for much of 2018, but in recent weeks, net additions to inventories increased Midwest propane to levels higher than the previous five-year average. For the week ending October 19, propane inventories in the Midwest, or Petroleum Administration for Defense District (PADD) 2, were 27.8 million barrels, or 792,000 barrels higher than the previous five-year average. More »

Consolidated Edison gets approval for natural gas demand response pilot program

In August 2018, the New York Public Service Commission approved a petition by Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. (Con Edison) for a $5 million, three-year natural gas demand response pilot program, one of the first demand response projects for natural gas. More »

U.S. monthly crude oil production exceeds 11 million barrels per day in August

U.S. crude oil production reached 11.3 million barrels per day (b/d) in August 2018, according to EIA’s latest Petroleum Supply Monthly, up from 10.9 million b/d in July. This is the first time that monthly U.S. production levels surpassed 11 million b/d. U.S. crude oil production exceeded the Russian Ministry of Energy’s estimated August production of 11.2 million b/d, making the United States the leading crude oil producer in the world. More »