The United States is responsible for nearly one-fifth of the world's energy consumption. Population growth, and the associated growth in housing, commercial floor space, transportation, goods, and services is expected to cause a 0.7 percent annual increase in energy demand for the foreseeable future. The energy used by the commercial and residential sectors represents approximately 40 percent of the nation's total energy consumption, and the share of these two sectors is expected to increase in the future. The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) and Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) are two major surveys conducted by the Energy Information Administration. The surveys are the most relevant sources of data available to researchers and policy makers on energy consumption in the commercial and residential sectors. Many of the design decisions and operational procedures for the CBECS and RECS were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, and resource limitations during much of the time since then have prevented EIA from making significant changes to the data collections. Effective Tracking of Building Energy Use makes recommendations for redesigning the surveys based on a review of evolving data user needs and an assessment of new developments in relevant survey methods. Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 Introduction2 Historical Background3 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey Program Historyand Design4 Residential Energy Consumption Survey Program History and Design5 Redesigning the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey6 Redesigning the Residential Energy Consumption Survey7 A State-of-the-Art Energy Consumption Data Collection ProgramReferencesAppendix A: Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-140)Appendix B: Data Users Who Provided Input to the PanelAppendix C: U.S. Census Regions and DivisionsAppendix D: U.S. Climate Zones for the 2003 CBECSAppendix E: Composite EstimationAppendix F: Letter ReportAppendix G: GlossaryAppendix H: Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and StaffCommittee on National StatisticsBoard on Energy and Environmental Systems