Several recent reports from both energy industry consultants and academics have suggested that apartments are significantly less energy efficient compared with their single-family counterparts because renters use nearly a third more energy per square foot than homeowners.
However, newly released survey micro data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) most recent Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) challenges that conclusion. In fact, additional analysis shows that homes in larger multifamily buildings (5+ units) use less energy than single-family houses as well as apartments in small multifamily buildings (2-4 units).
Check out NMHC Chief Economist and Vice President of Research Mark Obrinsky’s latest Research Notes for additional takeaways. EIA recently reached a similar research conclusion; access the article here.