戦前日本の家庭エネルギー消費は薪に大きく依存しており、１９２０年代まで薪の使用は８０％以上の比率を占めていた。木炭も含めた森林エネルギーは１９４０年においてさえ４分の３を占めていた（これは投入ベースでのデータであり、薪炭の重要性は多少誇張されている）。１９１０〜２０年代には電力利用の増加が顕著で、１９３０年代には代用炭が急増した。都市部のエネルギー消費は１９００年代以降順調に増加し、エネルギー源の多様化も進んだ。また郡部に比べると木炭の割合が高く薪と同程度に消費されていた。
Before the war, Japanese household energy was mainly relying on firewood, and the usage ratio of firewood until the 1920s was over 80%. Forest energy including Charcoal took 3/4 of the all type of energy (this data is based on supply , therefore the importance of firewood and charcoal is slightly exaggerated).
The increase of electricity usage was remarkable from the 1910s to the 1920s, then in the 1930s the alternative charcoal has increased. The Energy consumption in urban area has smoothly increased in the 1990s and the energy resource also became diversified. Compared to rural area, the usage ration of charcoal is high which was consumed as much as firewood.
