Czech gas consumption last week highest in five years due to freezing weather

Freezing weather continues to increase energy demand, with gas consumption last week the highest in the past five years. It rose by more than 60 percent compared with average weekly consumption during the heating season. This follows from information provided to ČTK by GasNet, the largest gas distributor in the Czech Republic. According to meteorologists, the frost will ease in the coming days.

"GasNet recorded the highest weekly gas consumption of the past five years during the current cold spell," GasNet spokesperson Tomáš Pernis told ČTK today.

According to data from the distributor, which covers more than 80 percent of the Czech Republic’s territory, customers consumed nearly 242 million cubic metres of gas on its distribution network in the week from 5 to 11 January. "Compared with average weekly gas consumption during the heating season, which amounts to around 150 million cubic metres, this represents an increase of more than 60 percent.

The increase in energy consumption due to freezing weather was already apparent at the start of the year. Gas consumption in the first week of January was around 23 percent higher than in the same period a year earlier. Electricity distributors are also reporting higher consumption, although the increase is more moderate. According to data from ČEZ and EG.D, electricity consumption rose by several percent.

Electricity consumption in Czechia is on average 40 percent higher in winter than in summer, with the gap widening further during cold spells. "Consumption increases by around 0.5 percent on average for every degree below zero. This applies down to approximately minus ten degrees. That is the saturation point, after which this relationship no longer applies," said ČEZ spokesperson Ladislav Kříž.

This morning was the coldest of the winter so far, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ). Temperatures in Bohemia and western Moravia mostly fell to between 12 and 20 degrees below zero, while in the Šumava region they dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Seven low-temperature records were broken. According to ČHMÚ’s weekly forecast, temperatures will rise in the coming days, and it may no longer freeze even at night.