Czechs have stopped saving gas, first-quarter data show, analysts say

Weather-adjusted gas consumption in Czechia in the first quarter of this year was slightly higher than last year, up 2.9%. Experts infer from this that people have stopped looking for ways to save, unlike before the previous heating season, analyst Petr Skalák of Amper Meteo said in a press release. By contrast, electricity consumption continued to fall, down 2.4% year on year after adjusting for the effects of weather.

This year, gas consumption was significantly affected by an exceptionally warm winter. All three months of the year were warmer than average, with February and March exceptionally so. „That is why we adjust the data for the effects of weather and recalculate it based on consistent temperatures and cloud cover,“ said development specialist Kamil Rajdl. Without adjusting for the effects of weather, this year's gas consumption was almost 5% lower. Compared with the 2017–2021 average, before the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, gas consumption is significantly lower, by 16%. Consumption at the Počerady combined-cycle power plant is also gradually declining.

Analysts therefore note that Czechs have stopped looking for ways to save on gas, while at the same time they are trying to save electricity. Both businesses and households continue to develop their use of photovoltaics. The gradual decline in electricity consumption from the grid is clearly visible in the long-term comparison: compared with 2017–2021, weather-adjusted consumption is down 8.2%. „The year-on-year decline in electricity consumption is smaller, but that is due to the growing number of heat pumps. At the same time, the number of rooftop photovoltaic systems continues to increase. These factors offset each other in total consumption,“ said Martin Nádeníček, a member of the board of Amper Savings. He noted that although photovoltaic systems generate the most energy in summer, they can also deliver significant savings in spring and autumn.

In the first three months of the year, strong river flows also led to above-average electricity generation at hydropower plants, up 63% on the 2016–2023 average. From April onwards, however, a significant decline in electricity generation can be expected due to a lack of snow in the mountains and an anticipated fall in river flows. Thanks to increased installed capacity and a sunny March, photovoltaic generation in the first quarter was also up 60% year on year.

The Amper Group bases its calculations and analyses on publicly available data. It obtains electricity consumption data from ČEPS and current gas data from NET4GAS. It also uses data from the Energy Regulatory Office (ERÚ) and ČEZ.

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