Power Biz 101

The Majority Of Customers Served By Electric Companies Are Residential Users, Yet Large Industrial Customers Consume More Than One-Third Of The Electricity Sold.
Electric companies serve customers in three major groups: residential, commercial, and industrial.

Residential consumers—those in individual homes and apartments—are the largest class of customers. Commercial customers are the next largest class and include businesses such as stores, hospitals, office buildings, hotels, supermarkets, and restaurants. Industrial customers—factories, refineries, textile mills, and other industrial plants—account for less than one percent of all customers, but consume more than one-third of electricity sold. Transportation customers, which account for less than one-tenth of one percent of all customers served by electric companies, include only electrified rail and urban transit systems.

Electric Company Customers By Class (2005)

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), and Edison Electric Institute.

Electricity Sales To Total Ultimate Customers (2005)

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), and Edison Electric Institute.