By Thomas Kirk –
A tiny house “movement” gained attention nationally as a reaction to the increased size of larger homes. Popularized by the television documentary “Tiny” and other media coverage, tiny homes typically measure less than 1,000 square feet — a far cry from the typical American home.
In 1973, the average U.S. home measured 1,660 square feet. Since then, U.S. homes grew by more than 60 percent to reach an average size of 2,598 square feet in 2013 (with a slight dip in 2008 through 2010). But do smaller homes actually use less energy? What are the factors that determine how much energy a house consumes?
As the size of homes increase, so do their energy demands. Examining only a home’s size shows a strong positive correlation between the square footage of a home and its energy consumption. In extreme cases, homes that measure more than 6,400 square feet (the top 1 percent of homes) use two-and-a-half times as much electricity as a 1,600-square-foot home.
There’s additional space to be heated or cooled, more lighting is required and it’s likely that the number of appliances will increase. But, today’s home is also more energy efficient.
Other factors, such as the age of the home, climate, income and behavior, influence energy consumption as well. U.S. Energy Information Administration data shows that homes built after the year 2000 use only 2 percent more energy than homes built before 2000, even though the newer homes are 30 percent larger on average and contain more electronic appliances.
There are several reasons for this equilibrium in energy use despite the greater building size. First, homes are becoming more energy efficient. They are lit with compact fluorescent bulbs and LEDs instead of incandescents and use more efficient appliances. For example, an older refrigerator can use twice the amount of energy as a newer model of similar capacity.
Second, homes today are built with more energy-efficient features. This includes better building shells, modern windows and more insulation. Larger homes in particular are more likely to include these types of energy-saving features. These changes are due to technological advances as well as policy changes that tightened building codes and raised the minimum energy efficiency standards for appliances. Programs such as Energy Star are educating consumers about the efficiency and cost savings of their products.
Finally, more Americans are moving south to more moderate climates. This means less energy is used on space heating, and although the southern migration resulted in a 56 percent increase in energy used for air-conditioning, it’s not enough to offset the space heating reduction. What this ultimately means is that the amount of energy a home uses is not predetermined by its size. While moving into a tiny home may not be practical or possible — they are often not allowed under current zoning regulations and only make up around 1 percent of homes — realize both large and small homes have the potential to be efficient. Rather than moving into a tiny home to save energy, consider looking into energy-efficient retrofits. For more ways to save, visit togetherwesave.com.
Thomas Kirk is a technical research analyst specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy for the Cooperative Research Network.