In 2012, industry (comprised of manufacturing, agriculture, mining and construction) accounted for about one-third (30.6 quads) of the US’s total primary energy consumption, according to a recently released DOE report entitled “Barriers to Industrial Energy Efficiency.” (A quad is equivalent to 1 quadrillion BTUs.)
In 2010, the food and beverage industry was the fifth-largest energy consumer (1.25 quads) in the manufacturing subsector. While the industrial sector has made steady progress in saving energy, the rate of adopting energy-efficient technologies and practices could be accelerated to reduce energy consumption another 15 to 32 percent by 2025, according to the report. From 2002 through 2010, some heavy-duty industries significantly decreased their energy intensity (the measure of energy to produce a product). For example, the chemical industry and primary metals manufacturers saw the greatest decrease, while the food industry remained relatively flat during the same period (see graph).