Paying More Dollars and Getting Less... Energy Costs Soar 21 Percent in 2000 ethanol gas pumps Nebraskans consumed less than four percent of our state's renewable resources, such as ethanol, wood and wood waste, solar, hydro power and geothermal energy. In the face of soaring — and record-breaking — energy prices in 2000, Nebraskans did what they’ve done before — cut energy use wherever they could. Despite the 3 percent decline in overall energy consumption, the price Nebraskans paid soared 21 percent in 2000 reaching $4.3 billion, according to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration. The majority of the money in 2000 was spent on petroleum and natural gas although petroleum and coal were the two most used fuels. Consumption Drops In 2000, Nebraskans used 583.5 trillion British thermal units of energy, which was less than 1 percent of the nation’s consumption and a 3 percent decrease from Nebraskan’s 1999 consumption of 603.4 trillion British thermal units. Almost two-thirds of the state’s energy needs were met by petroleum at 33 percent and coal at 31 percent. Natural gas use was 19 percent and nuclear electric power was 14 percent. Renewable energy, which consists of hydroelectric power, wood and waste, ethanol, geothermal, photovoltaic, and solar thermal energy, use was 4 percent (wind energy was not included in this total). Economic sector use was relatively equalized with only 10 percent separating the sectors. Thirty percent of the energy consumed in Nebraska was used in the transportation sector. The industrial sector consumed 28 percent, the residential sector consumed 22 percent and the commercial sector consumed 20 percent. In 2000, each Nebraskan consumed an average of 341 million British thermal units, a decrease of 6 percent from 362.2 million British thermal units in 1999. This level of use was 2 percent lower than the nation’s consumption per capita of 349 million British thermal units. Expenditures Soar Past $4 Billion Nebraskans spent $4.3 billion on energy in 2000, an increase of 21 percent from $3.6 billion in 1999. Ninety-five percent of the $4.3 billion bill went for only two types of energy: petroleum at 73.7 percent and natural gas at 20.7 percent. The balance of the spending went for coal at 3.8 percent, nuclear fuel at 1.7 percent and less than 1 percent on renewable energy.
oil wells pumping More than two-thirds of Nebraskans' energy dollars were spent on non-renewable energy resources like petroleum and natural gas.

The cost and dependency of the state on petroleum is clearly reflected in 2000 expenditures. Of the petroleum expenditures of $2.376 billion, over half — 52 percent — was spent on motor gasoline and another 36 percent was spent on distillate fuel, primarily diesel fuel. Expenditures for propane, jet fuel, lubricants, asphalt and road oil, residual fuel, aviation gasoline, other petroleum and kerosene made up the remaining 12 percent. Wood and waste make up the entire cost associated with renewable energy since there are no direct fuel costs for hydroelectric, geothermal, wind, photovoltaic or solar thermal energy. The Energy Information Administration did not track the cost of ethanol in 2000. Although consumption was divided relatively equally among the four end-use sectors, expenditures were not. The transportation sector spending alone exceeded the total of the next two sectors combined: transportation totaled 44 percent, residential sector totaled 21 percent and the industrial sector totaled 20 percent. The commercial sector spent the remaining 16 percent. Getting a National Perspective In 2000, Nebraska’s $4.3 billion expenditure on energy was less than 1 percent of the nation’s energy expenditures. Each Nebraskan spent an average of $2,526 on energy, an increase of $380 — or 18 percent — from $2,146 in 1999. On a per capita basis, the state’s $2,526 was 1 percent higher than the national expenditure per capita of $2,499.

Recently Updated Energy Statistics Consumption Expenditures Prices Miscellaneous statshtml/01.html">by Fuel Type statshtml/05.html">by Fuel Type statshtml/13.html">Commercial Sector statshtml/79.htm">Conversion Factors statshtml/03.html">by End-Use Sector statshtml/06.html">by End-Use Sector statshtml/22.html">Electric Utility Sector statshtml/84.html">Heat Content of Coal statshtml/04.html">by Fuel Type and by Sector statshtml/07.html">by Fuel Type and by Sector statshtml/10.html">Residential Sector statshtml/83.html">Heat Content of Natural Gas statshtml/94.htm">Per Capita statshtml/95.htm">Per Capita statshtml/16.html">Industrial Sector statshtml/81.html">Heat Content of Petroleum statshtml/92.htm">Renewable Energy statshtml/14.html">Commercial Sector statshtml/19.html">Transportation Sector statshtml/85.html">Heat Content of Renewables statshtml/92.htm">Commercial Sector statshtml/23.html">Electric Utility Sector statshtml/62.html">Coal statshtml/82.html">Heat Content of Electricity statshtml/12.html">Electric Utility Sector statshtml/17.html">Industrial Sector statshtml/50.html">Electricity statshtml/15.html">Industrial Sector statshtml/11.html">Residential Sector statshtml/26.html">Natural Gas statshtml/09.html">Residential Sector statshtml/20.html">Transportation Sector statshtml/39.html">Petroleum statshtml/09.html">Transportation Sector statshtml/63.html">Coal statshtml/61.html">Coal statshtml/51.html">Electricity statshtml/48.html">Electricity statshtml/29.html">Natural Gas statshtml/24.html">Natural Gas statshtml/41.html">Petroleum by Product statshtml/36.html">Petroleum by Product statshtml/42.html">Petroleum by Sector statshtml/38.html">Petroleum by Sector "> Home Energy Loans Energy Statistics mailto:energy1%40mail%2estate%2ene%2eus"> State of Nebraska Home disclaimer.htm"> Disclaimer feedback2.htm">Webmaster