Pew Research reports that, though U.S. homes today are much more energy efficient than they used to be, “homes are also a lot bigger, and their growing girth wipes out nearly all the efficiency gains.”
The study found that the trend is driven largely by new construction. “What all of this means is that, after dropping sharply during the 1970s, the overall energy intensity of U.S. homes has changed little over the past three decades,” writes Drew DeSilver, senior writer at Pew Research Center.