WASHINGTON, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The electricity consumption for a typical U.S. residential household this summer is expected to fall 5 percent to about 3,080 kilowatthours, according to a report released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Thursday.
"If this forecast is realized, it would be the lowest level of electricity consumption per customer since 2014 and the second-lowest level since 2001," said EIA.
Therefore, typical U.S. residential customers may pay less for their electricity bills during the summer months from June to August in 2019, which is expected to drop 3 percent to 412 U.S. dollars, according to EIA.
"In most parts of the country, residential electricity demand peaks during the summer months, when households are using air conditioning," EIA said, adding that air conditioning accounts for 17 percent of annual residential electricity expenditures and is a large factor in fluctuations in residential electricity use.
Speaking of the reason for decreasing electricity usage and expenditure, EIA said lower summer electricity consumption resulted from milder temperatures in this summer as well as improved energy efficiency.
Based on projections from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center, EIA said that cooling degree days, the indicator of energy use for air conditioning, would be about 9 percent lower than last year during the summer months.
"Overall residential consumption per household has generally been trending downward since 2010 in response to greater energy efficiency." EIA added.
