A Market Study of Energy Usage in New Jersey conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy turned up a few interesting facts:
Commercial buildings account for 51% of all electric usage in the state, followed by residences (38% ) and then industrial facilities (only 11%).
Among all commercial facilities, retail stores account for almost 20% of all electricity use, followed by offices, grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and warehouses. Among the smallest users are schools, restaurants and hotels.
The majority of electricity use in commercial establishments goes toward lighting, followed by cooling, refrigeration, ventilation and office equipment.
Over the next four years, the greatest opportunity for commercial electricity savings is interior lighting efficiency upgrades, following by exterior lighting, refrigeration and cooling.
The industries that use the most electricity are chemical and pharmaceutical, followed by paper products and food products.
Motors use the greatest amount of electricity in industrial buildings, followed by process (the chemical or mechanical steps needed to manufacture an item), and then interior lighting.
Motor drives and controls offer the greatest potential for saving electricity in industrial buildings, followed by controls on pumps, fans and compressed air, and then by efficient high bay lighting.