UK electricity consumption hits lowest level since 2020
Reduction in demand across all business sectors and households has help drive electricity consumption down to its lowest level since the spring of 2020, a period marked by the initial COVID lockdown which significantly reduced energy demand.
Government analysis confirmed that the decline in electricity consumption is evident across all sectors, with the domestic sector experiencing the biggest drop, down by 7.7% to 20.4TWh’s.
Against the backdrop of consistent temperatures, the continued trend of decreased consumption is more than likely down to customers doing their best to reduce their monthly electricity bill against the backdrop of huge increases driven by the energy price crisis.
It’s clear that household and businesses are doing their best to save as much money as possible at the moment.
In addition to the fall in electricity, there has been a marked decrease in the use of natural gas, with a 13% decrease in the second quarter of 2023 compared to the same period on 2022.
A significant change to how consumers are dealing with increases to their bills is not surprising with a report just last week on record levels of electricity theft in England and Wales
BBC analysis found that thefts had risen by 75% since 2012, with over 3,500 offences reported in 2021-22.
It has never been more important to track and compare the latest electricity and gas prices for your business.