Gas consumption in Czechia continues to fall, down 11% year on year in the first three quarters

Gas consumption in Czechia continues to fall. In the first three quarters of the year, Czechs used more than 51 terawatt-hours of gas, around 11 percent less year on year. This is according to statistics from the Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ). Consumption fell throughout the year, helped by favorable weather and energy-saving measures. People are also saving on electricity, with consumption down 4.8 percent year on year in the first nine months of the year.

Gas consumption has so far fallen in every calendar month this year. In the third quarter, the latest period for which data are available, the overall decline was more than 11 percent; adjusted for long-term normal temperatures, it was a four percent drop.

Warmer weather continued to have a significant impact on natural gas consumption in the third quarter, with the average temperature 1.8 degrees above the long-term norm. But according to the regulator, energy-saving measures by public authorities, businesses and households have also played an important role. „Both energy-saving measures and systemic changes have played a role, specifically switching to other fuels and using energy from own sources,” said Stanislav Trávníček, chairman of the ERÚ Council.

In the third quarter, businesses cut their gas consumption the most, by 34.5 percent year on year. Households followed, with consumption down by more than 28 percent. Large consumers reduced their gas use by 5.7 percent.

The recent fall in consumption was most pronounced in September, when year-on-year consumption dropped by more than a fifth. However, the month was exceptionally warm, with temperatures 3.4 degrees above the long-term norm, which also delayed the start of the heating season.

As in the earlier part of the year, changes in European gas flows following the start of Russia’s invasion—and the resulting reduction in transit through Czech territory—also had a significant impact in the third quarter. The volume of gas transported from Czechia to other countries fell by 85 percent.

ERÚ statistics also show a decline in electricity use. In the first three quarters of this year, electricity consumption fell by 4.8 percent, with Czechs using a total of 42.76 terawatt-hours.