Test Your Energy IQ!

November 01, 2010

by Julie Kaszton

In celebration of World Statistics Day on October 20th, the Energy Information Administration launched an interactive 20-question online quiz to test your Energy IQ.

I scored a 14/20 and would recommend that anyone interested in energy efficiency give it a whirl.  Given the recent headlines about China taking the lead in the race to renewable energy, it may come as a surprise that China produces the most Coal while the United States produces the most energy from Nuclear Power.  And what energy source provides the most renewable energy in the U.S.? (Hint: see below)

Did you know that the daily amount of energy used in the United States, per person, is equivalent to the energy used in a 100 watt lightbulb left on for 103 straight days, 707 quarter-pound hamburgers, AND half a tank of gasoline.

According to the EIA, in 2009, each person in the United States used an average of 841,300 British thermal units (Btu) per day. Although energy sources are expressed in different units, their energy content, along with food calories, can be compared using British thermal units (Btu).  Makes you wonder how much each person in China uses on average.