Commercial HVAC & Refrigeration Energy Use: Key Statistics

Key takeaways

• Cooling, ventilation and refrigeration used about 41% of U.S. commercial building electricity in 2018 (EIA CBECS, our calculation).
• In hot climates cooling is about 27% of commercial electricity, and cooling energy intensity is more than six times that of cold climates.
• Refrigeration accounts for close to half of grocery store electricity.
• Field studies found charge, airflow and fouling problems each costing several percent of cooling energy, and the losses stack.
• ERCOT set a new peak demand record of 91,089 MW on July 22, 2026; eGRID2023 puts the ERCOT emission rate at 736.6 lb CO2e/MWh.

This page collects the numbers people most often look for when they write or talk about the energy used by commercial air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration. Each figure has a published source and data year, followed by a note on what it means for a building operator. Where we calculated a share from a published table (for example, cooling as a percentage of total electricity), we say so and show the inputs, so you can check the arithmetic.

A caution: the most detailed national data on commercial end uses still come from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS), released in final form in December 2022. As of October 2026, EIA's CBECS page lists 2018 as the latest final survey and describes work to shape the next one, so 2018 remains the standard reference. National averages also describe the building stock, not your building. Use them for context and planning, and use your own meter data for decisions.

1. How much commercial electricity goes to cooling, ventilation and refrigeration

CBECS splits each building's energy into end uses such as space heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and refrigeration. The table below uses Table E5 (electricity by end use, 2018). Percentages are our calculation from the published billion-kWh values.

What it means: roughly four of every ten kilowatt-hours a typical commercial building buys go to moving air, removing heat or keeping things cold, so a few percent of lost efficiency in this equipment shows up clearly on a bill.

All energy, not just electricity

Table E1 of the same survey covers all major fuels (electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and district heat) in trillion Btu.

What it means: measured in total energy, heating looks bigger because much of it is natural gas, while nearly all cooling is electric, which usually costs more per Btu.

2. Climate and region: why the South uses more energy for cooling

What it means: in a Gulf Coast building, cooling is roughly a quarter of the electric bill rather than a seventh, and packaged rooftop units carry much of that load. A given percentage loss in cooling efficiency therefore costs a Houston facility far more than the same loss in Minneapolis. The page on hotter summers and cooling load explains cooling degree days and how weather drives run time.

3. Building types where HVAC-R dominates

All rows are calculated from CBECS Table E5 (electricity, 2018) unless noted.

What it means: in a grocery store, refrigeration is close to half the electric bill, so the condition of racks, condensers and display-case coils is a financial issue, not just a maintenance one.

4. Data centers

What it means: PUE is total facility energy divided by IT equipment energy, so a PUE of 1.0 would mean nothing at all goes to cooling, lighting or other non-IT loads, as the Department of Energy's data center design guide explains. At a PUE of 1.54, about 35% of the facility's energy (0.54 divided by 1.54) goes to everything other than the IT equipment, including cooling, power distribution losses and lighting. More detail is in data center cooling.

5. How far real equipment drifts from its rating

These figures come from field studies and laboratory research. Many are older, focus on particular equipment types, and should be read as evidence of the direction and rough size of losses, not as a forecast for any one unit.

What it means: the efficiency printed on the nameplate is a ceiling. Charge, airflow, dirty coils, oil retained inside the coils and controls faults each take a few percent, and they stack. The guides on why efficiency declines with age and oil fouling explain each mechanism.

6. Refrigerant leaks

What it means: a system that leaks is also a system that is running off its design charge for part of the year, which costs energy as well as refrigerant. As of October 2026, the federal leak repair rule applies to many commercial systems; residential and light commercial air conditioning and heat pumps are excluded, and EPA proposed further changes in 2026, so confirm current requirements with EPA or your service contractor.

7. Texas grid peaks and prices

What it means: Texas summer peaks fall on the hottest afternoons, when air-cooled equipment works hardest and is least efficient. For larger customers whose transmission charges are set by 4CP, cooling demand in four summer intervals can affect a full year of charges. The Texas demand charges and 4CP guide explains how this shows up on a bill.

8. Emissions factors for converting kWh savings

Worked example: a project in the ERCOT region that saves 100,000 kWh a year avoids about 100 MWh × 736.6 lb CO2e/MWh = 73,660 lb, or roughly 33 metric tons of CO2e, using the total output rate. eGRID2023 was the latest edition on EPA's site as of October 2026; check for a newer release before reporting. The Scope 2 emissions and HVAC guide covers which factor to use for which purpose.

Putting the numbers together

To use these figures, apply the share for your building type and climate to your own annual electricity use, then ask how far your equipment may have drifted from its rating. For example, a Houston office using 2,000,000 kWh a year could use the West South Central cooling share of about 22% as a rough first estimate: about 440,000 kWh for cooling. A 10% loss of cooling efficiency on that load would be roughly 44,000 kWh a year, before demand charges (an illustration, not a measurement). Your own interval data and a technician's readings will replace these assumptions; the HVAC savings calculator and the 25-point efficiency self-check are good next steps.

Where does CryogenX4 fit? The company describes its product as a one-time treatment that removes insulating oil film from inside heat-exchanger surfaces, one of the internal losses listed in section 5. CryogenX4 reports energy savings of up to 30%; results vary by equipment condition, so the reliable way to know is to measure on your own units.

How to cite this page

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of commercial building energy is used for HVAC?

In EIA's 2018 CBECS, space heating, cooling and ventilation together used about 51% of all major-fuel energy in U.S. commercial buildings. For electricity alone, cooling and ventilation were about 32%, and adding refrigeration brings it to about 41%. These shares are calculated from CBECS Tables E1 and E5.

Why do these statistics use 2018 data?

The 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey is EIA's most recent final survey of commercial end uses. As of October 2026 EIA had not released a newer one, so 2018 remains the standard national reference.

How much electricity do grocery stores use for refrigeration?

In the 2018 CBECS, refrigeration was about 48% of electricity in food sales buildings. ENERGY STAR says refrigeration may use up to 40 percent of a supermarket's total energy, which includes gas.

Which emissions factor should I use for kWh savings in Texas?

For a general estimate, EPA eGRID's ERCT subregion total output rate (736.6 lb CO2e/MWh in eGRID2023) is common. eGRID's non-baseload rate is often used to estimate the effect of reducing consumption. Your reporting framework may specify which to use.

Can I quote these numbers?

Yes. Cite the original source and year shown next to each figure. Where we calculated a share, cite the underlying table and note that the percentage was calculated.

Sources

1. 2018 CBECS Table E5: Electricity consumption by end use — U.S. Energy Information Administration
2. 2018 CBECS Table E1: Major fuels consumption by end use — U.S. Energy Information Administration
3. Cooling commercial buildings is six times more energy-intensive in hot climates than cold (July 2023) — U.S. Energy Information Administration
4. Use of electricity (2025 retail sales by sector) — U.S. Energy Information Administration
5. Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: Average Price of Electricity to Ultimate Customers by End-Use Sector, by State — U.S. Energy Information Administration
6. Berkeley Lab Report Evaluates Increase in Electricity Demand from Data Centers — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
7. Uptime Institute Global Data Center Survey 2025 — Uptime Institute
8. Upstream Solutions to Downstream Problems: Improving Field Performance of Small Packaged HVAC Systems (2004) — ACEEE Summer Study
9. eGRID2023 Summary Tables (revision 2) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
10. ERCOT Yearly Peak Demand Records — Electric Reliability Council of Texas