# How much energy do we use?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 18, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036 "2003-05-18T09:24:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Flying\_Monk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Flying\_Monk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flying_Monk)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036/1 "2003-05-18T09:24:23Z")

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& how much have we used in the past 50 years or so? Where can I find accurate information about this? I’ve read the Bush administration’s ridiculous “National Energy Policy” & I’d like some real figures. What about energy use worldwide?

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**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036/2 "2003-05-18T09:52:37Z")

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geez, I wouldn’t even know where to get this info… probably have to total it up yourself.  
Figure out all the worlds total product of uranium (not used in nukes), coal, natural gas, petrol, etc etc, for however long you wanna go back, add it all up, and there ya go. Easy.

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**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036/3 "2003-05-18T13:11:49Z")

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From somewhere, I once dug the figure of  
1.02 x 10[sup]11[/sup] MWh/year,= present energy use of the earth  
which I have also seen elsewhere…

another [source](http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epav2/html_tables/epav2t1p1.html) gives  
the net electricity generation in the USA for 2000 as 3,802,123 million kilowatt hours  
so there is a start.

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036/4 "2003-05-18T13:13:20Z")

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You can try the [Energy Information Administration](http://www.eia.doe.gov/) or the [API](http://api-ec.api.org/newsplashpage/index.cfm).

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**Author:** ![ASD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@ASD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASD)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-energy-do-we-use/176036/5 "2003-05-18T14:12:31Z")

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For the world outlook, you can also try the[International Energy Agency](http://www.iea.org/).