US Home Heating & Air Conditioning Statistics
Last reviewed: October 2026. All figures come from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), the latest completed RECS. Each statistic links to its source.
Key takeaways
- 88% of US households used air conditioning in 2020. [1]
- 52% of a US household's annual energy use went to space heating and air conditioning in 2020. [2]
- About 13% of US households used a heat pump as their main heating equipment in 2020. [2]
What percentage of US homes have air conditioning?
- 88% of US households used air conditioning in 2020. [1]
- 90% of single-family detached homes used AC equipment in 2020. [1]
- 80% of apartments in 2–4 unit buildings and 85% of apartments in buildings with 5+ units used AC in 2020. [1]
Air conditioning use by US region
| Region (Census) | Households using AC, 2020 |
|---|---|
| South | 93% |
| Midwest | 92% |
| West | 73% |
| Marine climate (Pacific Coast) | 49% |
Source: [1]
- 50% of Northeast households primarily used individual (room/window) AC units rather than central AC in 2020. [1]
Do newer homes have air conditioning more often?
- 83% of US homes built before 1950 used AC in 2020. [1]
- 93% of US homes built 2010–2020 used AC in 2020. [1]
- In the marine climate region, 39% of pre-1950 homes and 66% of 2010–2020 homes used AC. [1]
How much home energy goes to heating and cooling?
- Space heating and air conditioning together made up 52% of average household annual energy consumption in 2020. [2]
- Natural gas was used in 58% of US homes in 2020. [2]
- Retail electricity accounted for about 44% of residential end-use energy consumption in 2020; natural gas accounted for about 43%. [2]
How common are heat pumps?
- Approximately 13% of US households used a heat pump as their main heating equipment in 2020. [2]
Methodology
RECS 2020 collected data from 18,496 households, the largest responding sample in the program's history. [1] Figures are quoted as published by EIA; nothing is estimated or modeled by this site.
Sources
- US EIA, "Nearly 90% of U.S. households used air conditioning in 2020," Today in Energy, May 31, 2022. eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=52558
- US EIA, "Use of energy explained: Energy use in homes," Energy Explained. eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/homes.php
Cite this page: HVAC Cost Guide, "US Home Heating & Air Conditioning Statistics," hvac-cost.com/hvac-statistics/ (data: US EIA RECS 2020).