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The electric light is still on here: Illuminated apartment in a Hamburg apartment building
Photo:
Daniel Bockwoldt / dpa
Electricity consumption in Germany has fallen significantly in recent months.
While consumption in the summer months was still around the same level as in the previous year, four percent less electricity was consumed in September than in September 2021. This was reported by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), citing its own data.
In October, the difference was even nine percent (calendar-adjusted around eight percent).
According to the information, such a decline in electricity consumption was last seen in 2020, the first year of the corona pandemic.
In 2022 as a whole, consumption was around 434 billion kilowatt hours, 1.9 percent below the same period last year.
For the year as a whole, BDEW expects electricity consumption to fall by a good two percent compared to 2021.
Warm weather and less production
There are many reasons for the fall in electricity consumption in October.
In addition to the unusually warm weather and the savings made by consumers as a result of the crisis, the BDEW also blames production declines in industry.
Gas consumption has also fallen significantly.
According to the BDEW, between January and October 2022 it was around 674 billion kilowatt hours - 13.7 percent less than in the same period of the previous year.
Adjusted for temperature effects, consumption was 7.5 percent lower.
According to preliminary calculations, in October the values were 23 percent below the level of the previous year.
In addition to temperature effects, the reasons for the decline in gas are the economic slowdown and savings due to the high prices - but also changes in consumption behavior.
Experts believe that it has now become less likely that there will actually be a shortage of gas this winter.
The filling level of the memory recently even jumped over one hundred percent.
The question of how the supply can be ensured in the winter of 2023/24 is still somewhat uncertain.
Apr