Heat consumption in Czechia fell by six percent year on year last year, with weather playing a role

Heat consumption from district heating plants in Czechia fell by six percent year on year last year. This was mainly due to above-average warm weather: last year was ten percent warmer than the average temperature over the past 14 years, making it less demanding for heating. The heating season was also shorter. The Czech News Agency was told this today by the Czech District Heating Association. Consumption of other forms of energy also fell last year, influenced not only by the weather but also by higher prices.

The heating season lasted a total of 220 days last year, 14 days fewer than in 2022. The average for the past decade is two days longer than the figure for 2022.

„2023 was 6.7 percent less demanding for heating than 2022, and heat deliveries fell by six percent year on year, according to preliminary data. Compared with the long-term average, last year was ten percent less demanding for heating. If their advance payments are set correctly, households can generally expect modest credits on their final heat bills for 2023,“ said Martin Hájek, director of the Czech District Heating Association.

February and May were colder last year than in the previous year, while April and November were comparable. September and October, by contrast, were significantly warmer, with heating used on just 17 days. A year earlier, it was used on 44 days. January was also warmer last year, with an average temperature of 2.2 degrees, making it the third-warmest January since 1961.

According to Hájek, household heating trends shifted slightly compared with the year before last. „A comparison of heat consumption in November 2023 with the same month in 2022 shows a six percent increase, even though temperatures in the two months were almost identical. This suggests that people are gradually returning to normal and have raised the temperature in their homes slightly. We will see whether the coming months of the current heating season confirm this trend,“ Hájek said. He said a similar increase in consumption corresponds to raising the heating temperature by around one degree.

Czechs also saved on gas and electricity last year. Natural gas consumption fell by seven percent year on year to 7.1 billion cubic metres, its lowest level since 1994. This is according to an analysis by consultancy EGÚ Brno. Electricity consumption also fell, according to preliminary estimates, although exact statistics are not yet available.