Meaning & use
use of energy
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
the act of using power sources such as electricity, fuel, or heat to do work.
Grammar: Usually appears as 'the use of energy' with 'the'; the shorter form 'energy use' is also common.
Patterns
- the use of energy in something
- reduce the use of energy
- the use of energy for something
The report looks at the use of energy in homes across the country.
Better insulation can cut the use of energy for heating by half.
Governments are trying to limit the use of energy from coal.
phraseuncountabletechnical
the amount of power that a machine, building, or activity takes in.
Grammar: Often follows words like 'high', 'low', or 'efficient' to describe how much power is taken in.
Patterns
- high use of energy
- efficient use of energy
- measure the use of energy
Old fridges are known for their high use of energy.
The new design allows a more efficient use of energy.
Engineers measured the use of energy during each stage of production.
Common combinations
- reduce the use of energy
- Simple changes at home can reduce the use of energy.
- efficient use of energy
- Efficient use of energy saves money and helps the planet.
- household use of energy
- Household use of energy rises sharply in winter.
- the use of energy in industry
- The use of energy in industry has grown every year.
- cut the use of energy
- New rules aim to cut the use of energy in public buildings.
Synonyms and how they differ
- energy consumption
- More formal and common in reports and statistics; 'use of energy' sounds plainer and more general.
- energy use
- A shorter, equally natural form that is very common in headings and tables.
Opposites
Word family
- energy noun
- the power itself, from electricity, fuel, or heat.
- energy-efficient adjective
- using little power to do the same job.
Commonly confused: use of energy or energy production?
use of energy vs energy production
This means making energy, not using it; the two often appear together in the same report but are opposites in meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'The use of energy' is the standard noun phrase. Option 0 wrongly adds 'of' after 'using', option 2 drops 'the' before the noun, and option 3 adds 'the' before 'energy', which changes the meaning to a specific known energy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “use of energy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.