Gas and electricity consumption in Czechia rose for the third consecutive quarter

Gas and electricity consumption in Czechia continued to rise in the second quarter of this year. After adjusting for weather effects, households and businesses consumed 3,9 percent more gas and 1,8 percent more electricity than a year earlier. It was the third consecutive quarter of rising consumption since the energy crisis in 2022. The energy group Amper said this in a press release today.

From April to June this year, air temperatures were slightly lower year on year, by 0,3 degrees Celsius. April was warmer than last year, but May and June were cooler. The relatively cold May in particular prolonged the heating season, leading to higher overall consumption of electricity and gas.

"Gas consumption in the second quarter was 11,4 percent higher year on year. Given the weather conditions, this figure could be very misleading when it comes to identifying the actual trend in consumer behaviour, so we also adjust consumption for the impact of the weather. Even after this adjustment, gas consumption was 3,9 percent higher year on year," said Kamil Rajdl, data analyst at Amper Meteo.

Gas consumption also rose in the previous two quarters, from October 2024 onwards. According to analysts at Amper Meteo, the gradual increase in consumption may be due to the favourable price of gas as a commodity, which means consumers have little incentive to make further savings. "During the energy crisis, extensive energy-saving measures were introduced, as is clear from a comparison of current gas consumption with figures for 2017 to 2021. Consumption is currently still 15 percent lower," noted Martin Nádeníček, a member of the board at Amper Savings.

Electricity consumption also increased year on year, rising by 2,4 percent in the second quarter of this year, or 1,8 percent after adjusting for weather effects. One possible reason is the replacement of gas-powered technologies with electricity-based alternatives, such as heat pumps.

Since the beginning of this year, 3559 GWh of electricity generated in Czechia has come from renewable sources. This is 38,8 percent above the long-term average for 2016 to 2024, while the year-on-year amount is comparable. Photovoltaic power plants generated the largest share of renewable electricity, at 72,6 percent, up 31 percent year on year. By contrast, hydropower generation fell by 26 percent since the beginning of the year and by as much as 40 percent year on year. The reason is lower precipitation and the drought that has followed.

For its calculations and analyses, the Amper group uses publicly available data. It obtains electricity consumption data from ČEPS and current gas data from NET4GAS. It also works with data from the Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ) and ČEZ.