April 13, 2023, 3:53 am | Read time: 3 minutes
It was one of the defining topics of the past year–energy conservation. The Federal Network Agency and the federal government repeatedly urged consumers to use less energy. And it seems to have made a difference. An analysis shows that Germans have lived more frugally.
All the effort has paid off. Households in Germany significantly reduced their energy consumption in 2022, saving noticeably on electricity and gas. This is shown by an analysis from the comparison portal Check24.
This is how much energy Germans consumed in 2022
Energy consumption in Germany significantly decreased in 2022. People used about 21 percent less gas and about 12 percent less electricity compared to 2021. As a result, gas consumption dropped to an average of around 15,400 kilowatt-hours per year. Electricity consumption fell to around 2,800 kilowatt-hours per year. The analysis considered the consumption reported by customers in all contracts concluded through Check24 in 2022.
Many people feared high energy bills in 2022 due to the Ukraine war and therefore reduced their consumption early, said Steffen Suttner, managing director of energy at Check24. The Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) had previously reported on the survey.
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How were the data collected?
The data are not representative. They are based on an analysis of all electricity and gas contracts concluded through Check24 in 2022 and the consumption values reported by customers. Check24 did not specify the exact number of contracts analyzed, but a spokesperson for the comparison portal said it was in the six-figure range for both electricity and gas.
The decline in gas and electricity consumption, although less pronounced, is also evident in the data from the comparison portal Verivox. According to this, nationwide average gas usage in 2022 was 12 percent lower than the previous year, with consumption at around 18,000 kilowatt-hours. Electricity consumption fell by 8 percent to around 2,900 kilowatt-hours, according to Verivox.
According to Check24 data, gas and electricity consumption decreased in all federal states, albeit to varying degrees. No figures for the evaluated contracts are available for individual federal states.
Households in Hamburg saved the most gas, with consumption dropping by almost 30 percent. Berliners used about 25 percent less gas, while people in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt reduced their consumption by only 14 percent.
In terms of electricity savings, households in Brandenburg, Bavaria, and Bremen led with a 13 percent reduction each. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Hamburg, electricity consumption fell by nearly 8 percent compared to the previous year.
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Berlin saved the most electricity
On average, according to Check24, households in western Germany consumed slightly more electricity than those in eastern Germany. One reason: “In the western federal states, the number of people per household is larger than in the east,” the statement said. The Saarland topped the list with more than 2,900 kilowatt-hours of electricity consumption per year, while Berlin had the lowest consumption at just under 2,400 kilowatt-hours.
Last year, the Federal Network Agency repeatedly appealed to the public to save as much energy as possible. “If we don’t manage to achieve at least 20 percent savings in private households, we won’t be able to get through an average winter without cuts in industry,” said Network Agency President Klaus Müller in October 2022. Thanks to savings efforts, especially in industry, and a mild winter, the feared energy shortages did not materialize.
With material from dpa