Energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in an average European home

The two pie charts illustrate the distribution of energy consumption and the corresponding greenhouse gas emissions in an average European household. Overall, it is evident that while energy usage is relatively spread across various categories, greenhouse gas emissions are heavily dominated by heating and cooling.

In terms of energy use, other appliances account for the largest share at 24%, followed closely by water heating at 23% and heating and cooling at 20%. Refrigeration, lighting, cooking, and stand-by power consumption make up the remainder, at 12%, 11%, 5%, and 5% respectively.

Conversely, the profile of greenhouse gas emissions differs significantly. Heating and cooling, which represents only 20% of energy use, is responsible for 38% of total emissions. Water heating also sees an increase in its environmental impact, rising from 23% of energy use to 25% of emissions. In contrast, the proportion of emissions from other appliances drops to 16%, while lighting and refrigeration both decrease to 7%. Finally, cooking and stand-by power contribute the least to emissions, at 4% and 3% respectively, showing a slight decline from their energy consumption shares.