In the UK building energy consumption has increased at a rate of 0.5% per annum, which is slightly below the European figure of 1.5%. In contrast building energy consumption in Spain is increasing at a rate of 4.2% per annum, well above both the European and the North American (1.9%) rate. Reasons can be found in the economic growth, expansion of the building sector and the spread of building services, especially heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
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In 2004, building consumption in the EU was 37% of final energy, bigger than industry (28%) and transport (32%). In the UK, the proportion of energy use in building (39%) is slightly above the European figure. This is in part due to the shift away from heavy industry towards service sector activities. In contrast the figure for Spanish buildings is only 23%, 14 points below Europe, and expected to rise strongly as economic growth lead to convergence with the European average.