Table E1.  Estimated Primary Energy Consumption in the United States, Selected Years, 1635-1945
                      (Quadrillion Btu)




Year
Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy

Electricity
Net
Imports




Total


Coal

Natural
Gas


Petroleum


Total
Conventional
Hydroelectric
Power
Biomass

Total
Wood 1
1635
NA – – – – NA – – (s)   (s) – – (s)
1645
NA – – – – NA – – 0.001   0.001 – – 0.001
1655
NA – – – – NA – – .002   .002 – – .002
1665
NA – – – – NA – – .005   .005 – – .005
1675
NA – – – – NA – – .007   .007 – – .007
1685
NA – – – – NA – – .009   .009 – – .009
1695
NA – – – – NA – – .014   .014 – – .014
1705
NA – – – – NA – – .022   .022 – – .022
1715
NA – – – – NA – – .037   .037 – – .037
1725
NA – – – – NA – – .056   .056 – – .056
1735
NA – – – – NA – – .080   .080 – – .080
1745
NA – – – – NA – – .112   .112 – – .112
1755
NA – – – – NA – – .155   .155 – – .155
1765
NA – – – – NA – – .200   .200 – – .200
1775
NA – – – – NA – – .249   .249 – – .249
1785
NA – – – – NA – – .310   .310 – – .310
1795
NA – – – – NA – – .402   .402 – – .402
1805
NA – – – – NA – – .537   .537 – – .537
1815
NA – – – – NA – – .714   .714 – – .714
1825
NA – – – – NA – – .960   .960 – – .960
1835
NA – – – – NA – – 1.305   1.305 – – 1.305
1845
NA – – – – NA – – 1.757   1.757 – – 1.757
1850
0.219 – – – – 0.219 – – 2.138   2.138 – – 2.357
1855
.421 – – – – .421 – – 2.389   2.389 – – 2.810
1860
.518 – – 0.003 .521 – – 2.641   2.641 – – 3.162
1865
.632 – – .010 .642 – – 2.767   2.767 – – 3.409
1870
1.048 – – .011 1.059 – – 2.893   2.893 – – 3.952
1875
1.440 – – .011 1.451 – – 2.872   2.872 – – 4.323
1880
2.054 – – .096 2.150 – – 2.851   2.851 – – 5.001
1885
2.840 0.082 .040 2.962 – – 2.683   2.683 – – 5.645
1890
4.062 .257 .156 4.475 0.022 2.515   2.537 – – 7.012
1895
4.950 .147 .168 5.265 .090 2.306   2.396 – – 7.661
1900
6.841 .252 .229 7.322 .250 2.015   2.265 – – 9.587
1905
10.001 .372 .610 10.983 .386 1.843   2.229 – – 13.212
1910
12.714 .540 1.007 14.261 .539 1.765   2.304 – – 16.565
1915
13.294 .673 1.418 15.385 .659 1.688   2.347 0.002 17.734
1920
15.504 .813 2.676 18.993 .738 1.610   2.348 .003 21.344
1925
14.706 1.191 4.280 20.177 .668 1.533   2.201 .004 22.382
1930
13.639 1.932 5.897 21.468 .752 1.455   2.207 .005 23.680
1935
10.634 1.919 5.675 18.228 .806 1.397   2.203 .005 20.436
1940
12.535 2.665 7.760 22.960 .880 1.358   2.238 .007 25.205
1945
15.972 3.871 10.110 29.953 1.442 1.261 [1] 2.703 .009 32.665
1There is a discontinuity in the "Wood" time series between 1945 and 1949.  Through 1945, data are for
fuelwood only; beginning in 1949, data are for wood and wood-derived fuels (see Table 10.1).
Notes:  ·  For years not shown, there are no data available.  ·  See Tables 1.3 and 10.1 for continuation
of these data series from 1949 forward.  ·  See Note, "Geographic Coverage of Statistics for 1635-1945," at
end of section.
NA=Not available.  – – = Not applicable.  (s)=Less than 0.0005 quadrillion Btu.   Sources:  Coal, Natural Gas, and Petroleum:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Table VII.
 Conventional Hydroelectric Power:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Table II.  Wood:
·  1635-1845:  U.S. Department of Agriculture Circular No. 641, Fuel Wood Used in the United States
1630-1930, February 1942.  This source estimates fuelwood consumption in cords per decade, which were
converted to Btu using the conversion factor of 20 million Btu per cord.  The annual average value for each
decade was assigned to the fifth year of the decade on the assumption that annual use was likely to
increase during any given decade and the average annual value was more likely to reflect mid-decade
yearly consumption than use at either the beginning or end of the decade.  Values thus begin in 1635 and
are plotted at 10-year intervals.  ·  1850-1945:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Table VII. 
Electricity Net Imports:  Energy in the American Economy, 1850-1975, Tables I and VI.  Calculated as the
difference between hydroelectric consumption and hydroelectric production times 3,412 Btu per
kilowatthour.