Provides in-depth information about how energy was used in residential housing units that were occupied year-round in 1997. The uses and costs of residential energy (excluding vehicle fuels, primarily gasoline) were analyzed by using households' energy-related characteristics, such as location, type (for example, single-family), size, number of household members and vehicles, and age. Chapters: residential energy consumption in perspective; residential energy 1997 overview; two decades of RECS (Residential Energy Consumption Survey): changes in energy consumption and related household characteristics. Over 100 charts and tables.