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Chapter 1 provides an overview of energy use in the U.S. buildings sector, which includes single- and multi-family residences and commercial buildings. Commercial buildings include offices, stores, restaurants, warehouses, other buildings used for commercial purposes, and government buildings. Section 1.1 provides data on primary energy consumption, as well as energy consumption by end use. Section 1.2 focuses on energy and fuel expenditures in U.S. buildings. Section 1.3 provides estimates of construction spending, R&D, and construction industry employment. Section 1.4 covers emissions, construction waste, and other environmental impacts. Section 1.5 discusses key measures used throughout the Data Book, such as a quad, primary vs. delivered energy, and carbon emissions. Section 1.6 provides estimates of embodied energy for various commercial building assemblies. The main points from this chapter are summarized below:

The 99.5 quads of energy the U.S. consumed in 2008 represented 20% of global consumption—the largest share of world energy consumption by any country.(1.1.13) The U.S. buildings sector alone accounted for 8% of global primary energy consumption in 2008. (1.1.3) In the United States, the buildings sector accounted for almost 40% of primary energy consumption in 2008, 43% more than the transportation sector and 24% more than the industrial sector. (1.1.3)
Total building energy consumption in 2008 was about 50% higher than consumption in 1980. (1.1.8) Space heating equipment and water heaters were the dominant end uses in 2008, consuming close to half of all energy in the buildings sector. (1.1.4)

More energy was consumed in the United States than in any other country in 2008, with 99.5 quadrillion Btu (quads) of primary energy consumed, approximately 20% of total global demand. China, which consumed the second largest amount of primary energy (85.1 quads), produced the largest share of carbon dioxide emissions in the world. (1.4.6) While U.S. consumption grew by less than one half of one percent between 2002 and 2008, China's energy demand almost doubled over the same period (1.1.13).

Forty percent of U.S. primary energy was consumed in the buildings sector. The industrial sector was responsible for 32% and the transportation sector 28% of the total. Of the 40 quads consumed in the buildings sector, homes accounted for 54% and commercial buildings accounted for 46% (1.1.3). As for energy sources, 76% came from fossil fuels, 15% from nuclear generation, and 8% from renewables. (1.1.8)