Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Nonresidential Buildings Energy Consumption Survey: characteristics of commercial buildings, 1983

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5528622

This report presents data collected in the 1983 Nonresidential Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (NBECS), the second national sample survey of nonresidential buildings and their fuel suppliers conducted by the Energy Information Administration. Geographically, the surveys covered the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia. NBECS was designed primarily to provide information on energy-related characteristics of buildings, as well as information on the consumption of an expenditures for energy used in nonresidential buildings, primarily those in the commercial sector. For both surveys, ''Nonresidential buildings'' was defined as roofed and walled structures that housed some kind of commercial or industrial activity, excluding buildings on military installations. Buildings that were primarily residential, but showed evidence of commercial or industrial activity also fell within the scope of the survey. The data presented in this report cover basic descriptions of commercial buildings, including principal activities, age and size of buildings, location, and occupancy patterns; energy sources used in commercial buildings; heating and cooling practices and equipment; and conservation practices. On the basis of the sample of buildings included in both the 1979 and the 1983 NBECS, data are also provided for changes that occurred between 1979 and 1983 for a few important building characteristics, such as changes in fuels supplied to the building and changes in the percentage of heated floor space. 7 figs., 46 tabs.

Research Organization:
USDOE Energy Information Administration, Washington, DC. Office of Energy Markets and End Use
OSTI ID:
5528622
Report Number(s):
DOE/EIA-0246(83); ON: DE85015590
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English