Energy Through Our Lives

Units:

Section B. Energy Flow in Ecosystems

5b. Economic Sectors and End Uses

Energy consumption in Wisconsin is divided among five economic categories called sectors. Examples and typical energy end uses found within each economic sector are listed in the following table.
Economic Sector	Examples	End Uses
Residential	Apartments, Single and Multi-family homes, mobile homes, Vacation homes	Air conditioning, Clothes washing and drying, Cooking, Entertainment, Home office equipment, Lighting, Miscellaneous appliances, Outdoor equipment, Refrigeration, Space and water heating, Workshop equipment
Commercial	Offices, Retail stores, Grocery stores, Restaurants, Warehouses, Theaters, Government buildings, Schools, Places of worship, Hotels and motels	Air conditioning, Clothes washing and drying, Cooking, Lighting, Miscellaneous equipment, Office equipment, Refrigeration, Space and water heating, Ventilation,
Industrial	Factories and assembly plants that make finished products. Industries that extract or produce raw materials and energy resources such as minerals, lumber, fishing, coal, oil, natural gas, and electricity.	Air conditioning, Cooking, Lighting, Miscellaneous equipment, Office equipment, Motor-driven machinery, Process heating, Refrigeration, Space and water heating, Ventilation
Agricultural (farming)	Dairy, Fruits and Vegetables, Grain (corn, wheat), Livestock (beef, hogs, poultry), Other	Air conditioning, Crop drying, Irrigation, Lighting, Miscellaneous equipment, Motor-driven machinery, Refrigeration, Space and water heating, Ventilation, Water pumping
Transportation	Passenger, Commercial, Government	Airplanes, Automobiles, Boats, Buses, Ships, Trains, Trucks

Definitions of Less Common Energy End Uses

Miscellaneous appliances are home appliances that are not categorized under other end uses. Examples include electric toothbrushes, vacuum cleaners, and electric foot massagers.

Miscellaneous equipment is equipment used in the commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors that is not categorized under other end uses. Examples include floor polishing equipment used in offices, X-ray machines used in a doctor's office, and film projectors used in theaters.

Motor-driven machinery is machinery used in manufacturing processes that is driven by motors. Drills used to make holes in metal and saws used to cut wood in a lumber mill are examples.

Process heating is heating used in manufacturing and other industrial processes. Heating iron ore in a blast furnace to make steel is an example.

Insulation and air infiltration-drafts and air leakage through windows, doors, and other cracks-in homes and buildings are not listed in the table because they are not considered to be end uses. However, they directly influence the effectiveness with which energy is used for space heating in homes and other buildings, and are therefore important.

Please proceed to optional assignment: General End Use Survey.

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