As the heating period in Germany continues, people are using significantly more gas than last year. According to a Bundesnetzagentur evaluation, the total gas consumption for the period from October to December increased by 5.8% to 246 terawatt-hours (TWh).
Industry saw a 9.1% increase in gas consumption compared to the previous year, while households and commercial sectors saw a more modest 1.9% increase.
This comes as the first winter half has been slightly colder than in 2023, with an average temperature of 6.5 degrees, 0.6 degrees lower than the previous year. The data provided by the network agency on December 30 refers to the period from October 1 to December 23.
Despite the ongoing energy crisis, Germans and businesses are still being frugal with their energy consumption. In this winter, the overall gas consumption is still 9.7% lower than the average of the years from 2018 to 2021. Households and commercial sectors are using 12.7% and 7.3% less gas, respectively, compared to the same period. The average temperature is, however, 0.2 degrees higher than in the pre-war years.
The president of the network agency, Klaus Müller, called for continued energy-saving measures. “Saving gas still makes sense and can reduce the burden on our wallets” he said.
Müller also praised the overall situation, stating, “We have so far navigated the first half of winter well.” “Germany has saved around 10% of gas compared to previous years, even if the consumption has significantly increased compared to last year.” The storage facilities are still well-filled, at around 80%, Müller said, “so we are well-prepared for the next three months.