What is an Energy Flow Diagram & How to Create it?

You will agree with us when we say:

It’s INCREDIBLY hard to visualize data with energy flow characteristics.

It turns out there’s a chart that’s strategically positioned to visualize data with flow characteristics. Besides, this chart is amazingly easy to read and interpret. The chart we’re talking about is called an energy flow diagram.

So if you intend to create a compelling data story for your audience, you don’t have to worry. Yes, don’t worry about the best chart to use to present your insights to the audience.

This blog will walk you through energy flow diagram examples, how to use them to uncover patterns in your data, practical use, and most importantly, the best visualization tool to use.

You don’t want to miss this if you plan on taking your data storytelling skills to the expert level by using a visualization tool which we will discuss later in this blog.

Let’s get right into it.

Table of Content:

1. What is an Energy Flow Diagram(EFD)?
2. Video Tutorials: How to Create Energy Flow Diagram
3. Why is an Energy Flow Chart Important?
4. What is the Direction of Energy Flow?
5. Uses of Diagram of Energy Flow
6. Elements of Energy Flow Diagram
7. Energy Flow Diagram Examples
8. How to Create an Energy Flow Diagram: Step-By-Step
9. Advantages of Using Energy Flow Diagram
10. Energy Flow Diagrams: Best Practices
11. Energy Flow Diagrams: FAQs 
12. Wrap Up

What is an Energy Flow Diagram(EFD)?

Definition: An energy flow diagram tracks the energy flow from raw or primary sources of energy up to the final stage (consumption).

In other words, this Diagram is a directional flow chart where the width of the streams is proportional to the quantity of flow. And where the flows can combine, split, and be traced through a series of events or stages.

Flows in the diagram can show energy, materials, fluids, or costs.

In this blog, we’ll focus primarily on energy flow.

The chart visualizes energy and its transformation visually and quantitatively. This includes primary energy (raw energy materials) fed into a system, energy supply, transformation, losses, and uses.

So, if used effectively, it’s arguably the best visualization to use in a data story, especially when formulating energy policies for a country or state.

Video Tutorials: How to Create Energy Flow Diagram (EFD)

How to Create an Energy Flow Diagram in Excel?

In the following video, you will learn how to create an energy flow diagram in a few clicks without coding.

How to Create an Energy Flow Diagram in Google Sheets?

Why is an Energy Flow Chart Important?

Energy Flow Diagram Examples

The chart visualizes the flow of material, energy, cost, or any measurable resource. Besides, it draws the attention of the audience to the most significant flows, consumers, losses, etc.

Remember, you can also call it an energy flow diagram or Sankey Diagram.

Example# 1

This chart uses links and nodes to communicate insights. Essentially, the width of a flow is proportional to its quantity.

The key to reading and interpreting the chart is remembering that the width is proportional to the quantity represented.

Note: The width of the lines and arrows represent amounts or volumes of resources.

Example# 2

As we said earlier, the energy flow chart summarizes all the energy transfers in a process.

Keep in mind: the thicker the line or arrow, the greater the amount of energy involved.

Take a look at the energy flow chart example above.

It visualizes the domestic use of power in a home. The 3 main categories of the chart include the following:

• The main source
• Rooms
• Devices

Let’s analyze the chart real quick.

• The biggest energy consumers (in the devices category) in the home are the AC, oven, and stove.
• The biggest consumer of energy (in the rooms category) in the home is the kitchen.

How to Create an Energy Flow Diagram: Step-By-Step

Imagine you’ve been tasked by the Energy Commission of a hypothetical country to analyze their gigantic data. They want to know various details about domestic energy consumption, namely:

• The contribution of each energy-generating source
• The amount of energy lost
• The energy contribution of cleaner and greener sources
• Common uses of energy by consumer segments (commercial versus domestic use)

The Energy Commission wants a data story to use for the forthcoming launch of its 10-year Plan. The table below has the sample data we’ll use for the scenario above.

Note: the table below is pretty long to show you that a chart can visualize gigantic data sets without obscuring key insights.

Apologies in advance if you find the table below weirdly long.

Energy Type	Main Source	Source type	Energy Source	Usage	End-User	Megawatt
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	5
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	7.3
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	5.1
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	3.7
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	4.9
Agricultural waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	2
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	7.2
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	5.4
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	6.7
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	4.8
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	7.4
Other waste	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	2.5
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	0.7
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	0.5
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	0.9
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	0.5
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	0.8
Marina algae	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.6
Land-based bioenergy	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	1.3
Land-based bioenergy	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	2.5
Land-based bioenergy	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	3.2
Land-based bioenergy	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	0.7
Land-based bioenergy	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	1.4
Land-based bioenergy	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.9
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	0.4
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	0.7
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	0.8
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	0.3
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	0.6
Biomass import	Bio-conversion	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.2
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	50
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	13
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	8
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	6
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	11
Nuclear reserves	Nuclear Plant	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	4
Coal reserves	Coal	Solid	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	4.7
Coal reserves	Coal	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	3.1
Coal reserves	Coal	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	4.2
Coal reserves	Coal	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	0.7
Coal reserves	Coal	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	4.8
Coal reserves	Coal	Solid	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.5
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Losses in process	Lost	5.1
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Industry	8.4
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	7.9
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	4.8
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	7.3
Gas reserves	Natural Gas	Gas	Thermal generation	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	3.5
Green energy	Hydro	Dams	Electricity production	Losses in process	Lost	9.8
Green energy	Hydro	Dams	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Industry	7.5
Green energy	Hydro	Dams	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	6.7
Green energy	Hydro	Dams	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	5.3
Green energy	Hydro	Dams	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	8.9
Green energy	Hydro	Dams	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	6.8
Green energy	Tidal	Through Sea	Electricity production	Losses in process	Lost	0.3
Green energy	Tidal	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Industry	0.5
Green energy	Tidal	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	0.4
Green energy	Tidal	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	0.1
Green energy	Tidal	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	0.5
Green energy	Tidal	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.2
Green energy	Wave	Through Sea	Electricity production	Losses in process	Lost	0.8
Green energy	Wave	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Industry	0.7
Green energy	Wave	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	0.9
Green energy	Wave	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	0.3
Green energy	Wave	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	0.5
Green energy	Wave	Through Sea	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.3
Green energy	Wind	Wind Power Plant	Electricity production	Losses in process	Lost	3.7
Green energy	Wind	Wind Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Industry	17.9
Green energy	Wind	Wind Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	18.1
Green energy	Wind	Wind Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	5.8
Green energy	Wind	Wind Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	5.5
Green energy	Wind	Wind Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	4
Green energy	Solar	Solar Power Plant	Electricity production	Losses in process	Lost	1.7
Green energy	Solar	Solar Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Industry	5.9
Green energy	Solar	Solar Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – commercial	5.4
Green energy	Solar	Solar Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Heating and cooling – homes	2.2
Green energy	Solar	Solar Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – commercial	4.1
Green energy	Solar	Solar Power Plant	Electricity production	Electricity grid	Lighting & appliances – homes	0.7

If you have not installed the ChartExpo in Google Sheets yet then you are missing a lot of visualization to be explored. You can create many complex visualizations in a few clicks without coding using ChartExpo Add-on. 

To Get Started with ChartExpo for Google Sheets Add-on, follow the Simple and Easy Steps Below.

• Open your Google Sheets application.
• Open the worksheet and click on the Extension menu.
• Once the Charts, Graphs & Visualizations by ChartExpo drop-down menu shows, click the Open button.

• Now you can start using ChartExpo for Google Sheets
• Click on the Add New Chart to continue, as shown below:

• You’ll see a list of visual charts.

You can copy your data sheet and then select the chart from the list.

• Select Sheet Name, and then click on Add new metric. In our case, the primary metric is energy value in Mega Watts.
• Click on Add new dimension and then add the variables: Energy Type, Main Source, Source Type, Energy Source, Usage, and End User.
• Click on Create Chart, as shown below.

Insights:

A huge chunk of Nuclear energy is getting wasted. The good news is only 26% of the country’s overall energy needs are harnessed from nuclear sources.

36% of the country’s energy comes from greener sources.

Advantages of Using Energy Flow Diagram

• Pattern and Trend Analysis: Use the charts to visualize production, usage, losses, and cost analyses of energy. If you analyze the chart side by side if you have old data visualization and new data, you can infer it for forecasting purposes as well.
• Uncover Productivity and Efficiency: The main focus of any visualization is to empower optimization in productivity and efficiency. With energy flow charts, your audience can identify the most productive and efficient sources and consumers of energy.
• Improves Reporting: Data storytelling in reports is the most obvious use of data visualizations. A flow diagram improves your report by providing key insights in the simplest way possible. Essentially, your readers won’t struggle to understand the key insights forming the backbone of your data story.
• Promotes Simplicity and Clarity: As we said earlier, the charts lend clarity and simplicity. Essentially, even non-technical audiences can understand your data story if you use this chart strategically.

Energy Flow Diagrams: Best Practices

1. Simplify the Design: Keep the diagram clear and simple by focusing on the most critical elements. Avoid overcrowding with too many details, as it can lead to confusion.
2. Use Clear Symbols and Labels: Employ standard symbols and clear labeling for energy sources, conversions, and outputs. This ensures that the diagram is easily understandable by all stakeholders.
3. Highlight Energy Losses: Identify and emphasize areas where energy is lost or wasted. This can help pinpoint inefficiencies and opportunities for optimization.
4. Ensure Proper Scaling: Use appropriate scaling for energy quantities to visually represent the magnitude of different flows accurately, making the diagram more informative.
5. Include Feedback Mechanisms: If applicable, show feedback loops that regulate energy flow. This helps in understanding dynamic systems where energy adjustments are made based on system performance.

Energy Flow Diagrams: FAQs

What are the 4 stages of energy flow?

1. Energy Input: Energy is introduced into a system from external sources (e.g., sunlight, fuel).
2. Energy Conversion: Energy is transformed from one form to another (e.g., chemical to thermal energy).
3. Energy Transfer: Energy moves through the system to where it is needed.
4. Energy Output: Energy is used to perform work or is released as waste (e.g., mechanical work, heat).

How does an energy diagram work?

An energy diagram visually represents the flow of energy through a system. It shows energy inputs, transformations, transfers, losses, and outputs, helping to track energy use, identify inefficiencies, and optimize performance.

The diagram typically uses arrows, symbols, and labels to illustrate how energy moves and changes form within the system.

Wrap Up:

As we said earlier, you don’t have to struggle to visualize data with energy flow characteristics.

Use the energy flow diagram to visualize this type of data because it’s amazingly easy to read and interpret, especially in data stories. The flow diagram visualizes the flow of material, energy, cost, or any measurable resource.

The key to reading and interpreting the diagrams is noting that the width is proportional to the quantity represented.

If used effectively, it’s arguably the best visualization to use in a data story, especially when formulating energy policies for a country or state.

With the energy flow diagram, you can achieve the following:

• Quick trends, flows, and patterns analysis
• Uncover productivity and efficiency insights
• Create compelling reports
• Clarity and simplicity, especially when communicating key insights

The best tool to use to create Energy flow Diagrams is ChartExpo. Sign Up today to visualize energy flow data without having to waste your valuable time.