The East of England accounted for the highest average household electricity consumption in Great Britain in 2022. That year, it added up to 3,720 kilowatt-hours per household. In comparison, households in the North East of England had the lowest average consumption, at 2,906 kilowatt-hours per household. End user consumption of electricity in the UK Despite continual annual declines in consumption since 2005, households have remained the largest electricity end-users in the UK since 2005. In 2020, amidst lockdown measures following the coronavirus outbreak, the gap between domestic and industrial consumption grew even wider. In 2022, domestic electricity consumption in the UK amounted to 96 terawatt-hours, while industrial consumption recorded the lowest figure of the century, at some 85 terawatt-hours. Declining electricity consumption in the UK Electricity consumption in the UK has seen a dramatic decrease in the past two decades, at least partially related to increased efficiency in equipment and distribution. In 2022, consumption from all electricity suppliers in the UK stood at 275 terawatt-hours. Projections indicate that the UK's electricity consumption will resume a growing trend after 2025, to surpass 32 million tons of oil equivalent in 2040.

This statistic shows annual electricity consumption per square metre in households in England in 2011. On average all households consumed 71 kilowatt-hours per square metre that year. Terraced houses with an end terrace used up the most electricity per square metre, at 81 kilowatt-hours, followed by flats and multiple person households with no dependent children (77 kilowatt-hours per square metre in each case).

Household electricity consumption in the UK has been annually declining for most of the century. Households in the United Kingdom used to consume over 100 terawatt-hours of electricity every year. However, in 2022, domestic electricity consumption dropped below 100 terawatt-hours and it amounted to approximately 92 terawatt-hours in 2023.

The consumption of electricity in the United Kingdom has fluctuated on an annual and seasonal basis throughout the period depicted, and indicated a general downward trend. Demand was consistently higher in the winter months, peaking each year in January or December. In April 2024, electricity consumption in the UK amounted to 22.7 terawatt-hours. Domestic users consume the most electricity Although the industrial sector's electricity demand was higher between 1990 and 2005, domestic consumers have since reclaimed their spot as the largest electricity end users in the UK. East and South East England were the regions with the highest domestic electricity consumption in Great Britain, with more than 3.7 megawatt-hours consumed per household in 2022. Declining electricity demand in the UK Electricity consumption in the UK has seen a mostly continual decrease since the turn of the century. After peaking at 357.2 terawatt hours in 2005, consumption has fallen below 300 terawatt hours in 2020. This is despite the UK's population growing by approximately seven million during this period. Projections on electricity consumption in the UK show that the decreasing trend will last until at least 2025.

United Kingdom UK: Electric Power Consumption: per Capita data was reported at 5,129.528 kWh in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 5,409.630 kWh for 2013. United Kingdom UK: Electric Power Consumption: per Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 5,082.440 kWh from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2014, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6,270.984 kWh in 2005 and a record low of 2,412.137 kWh in 1960. United Kingdom UK: Electric Power Consumption: per Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Electric power consumption measures the production of power plants and combined heat and power plants less transmission, distribution, and transformation losses and own use by heat and power plants.; ; IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA 2014 (http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp), subject to https://www.iea.org/t&c/termsandconditions/; Weighted average; Restricted use: Please contact the International Energy Agency for third-party use of these data.

This statistic shows the average maximum power demand in households in England in 2011. On average all households showed a demand of around 7,700 watts. Medium or large terraced houses, bungalows and multiple person households with no dependent children had the highest demand for power.

The United Kingdom’s electricity use has been declining since peaking at 357 terawatt-hours in 2005. In 2023, the UK's electricity consumption fell to its lowest level this century, at 266 terawatt-hours. Electricity consumption in the UK typically follows a seasonal trend, peaking in the winter months. How electricity-intensive is the UK? Despite the continual decline in electricity consumption, the UK remains one of the largest electricity consumers in the world. In terms of per capita electricity consumption, however, the UK pales in comparison to other European countries such as Norway, Germany, and France. In 2022, it registered an average of 4,813 kilowatt-hours per person. The race towards a clean power mix In 2010, gas and coal accounted for roughly 75 percent of the UK's power mix. Since then, alongside the EU Renewables Directive, the UK agreed and created its own National Renewable Energy Plan, to increase the use of renewable sources and decrease its fossil fuel dependence. In the past decade, the share of energy consumption in the UK attributable to renewable energy increased slightly, although it was still a small percentage out of the total in 2022.

In the past decade, electricity consumption in the United Kingdom has been on the decline. Households have consistently ranked as the largest electricity final users in the country. In 2023, households in the UK consumed 93 terawatt-hours of electricity, or roughly 35 percent of the total consumption. Meanwhile, the industrial sector's consumption of electricity has fallen from 117 terawatt-hours in 2005 to 86 terawatt-hours in 2023.

The UK's energy use by industry (SIC 2007 group - around 130 categories), source (for example, industrial and domestic combustion, aircraft, road transport and so on - around 80 categories) and fuel (for example, anthracite, peat, natural gas and so on - around 20 categories), 1990 to 2022.

The United Kingdom’s demand for electricity has been declining since 2005, standing at 316.52 terawatt-hours in 2023. Some factors for this decreasing are declining population growth in the country, energy efficiency regulations, energy-efficient lighting, and changing consumer habits. Domestic electricity consumption in the UK Households are the largest electricity end-users in the UK. In fact, domestic consumption is the only sector that registered year-over-year growth over the past few years, reaching roughly 100 terawatt-hours in 2022. Nevertheless, the average domestic electricity consumption varied from region to region. Consumption was highest in the East, South East, and South West of England, each registering an average of more than 3,600 kilowatt-hours per household. Declining electricity generation in the UK Keeping up with the decline in demand, electricity generation in the UK has also been decreasing. In 2023, approximately 293 terawatt-hours were produced, the lowest output in at least three decades. Although electricity generation has been declining, renewable generation has increased significantly. As of 2023, renewables accounted for the largest electricity generation capacity in the UK, and that capacity is forecast to more than double by 2050. By 2025, the use of coal is expected to have been completely phased out.

United Kingdom UK: Access to Clean Fuels and Technologies for Cooking: % of Population data was reported at 100.000 % in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 100.000 % for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Access to Clean Fuels and Technologies for Cooking: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 100.000 % from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 100.000 % in 2016 and a record low of 100.000 % in 2016. United Kingdom UK: Access to Clean Fuels and Technologies for Cooking: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Energy Production and Consumption. Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking is the proportion of total population primarily using clean cooking fuels and technologies for cooking. Under WHO guidelines, kerosene is excluded from clean cooking fuels.; ; World Bank, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) database from WHO Global Household Energy database.; Weighted average;

Iceland is by far the largest per capita consumer of electricity worldwide, averaging 53.9 megawatt-hours per person in 2023. This results from a combination of factors, such as low-cost electricity production, increased heating demand, and the presence of energy-intensive industries in the country. Norway, Qatar, and Canada were also some of the world's largest electricity consumers per capita that year. China is the leading overall power consumer Power-intensive industries, the purchasing power of the average citizen, household size, and general power efficiency standards all contribute to the amount of electricity that is consumed per person every year. However, in terms of total electricity consumption, a country's size and population can also play an important role. In 2023, the three most populous countries in the world, namely China, the United States, and India, were also the three largest electricity consumers. Global electricity consumption on the rise In 2023, net electricity consumption worldwide amounted to over 27,000 terawatt-hours, an increase of 30 percent in comparison to a decade earlier. When compared to 1980, global electricity consumption more than tripled. On the generation side, the world is still strongly dependent on fossil fuels. Despite the world's renewable energy capacity quintupling in the last decade, coal and gas combined still accounted for almost 60 percent of global electricity generation in 2023.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) Observatory facilitates a broad range of energy demand research and is a unique data resource for research where access to high resolution, large scale energy data linked to relevant contextual data is required. Further information about SERL can be found on the Smart Energy Research Lab website.

This dataset of aggregated statistics is available under standard Safeguarded (End User Licence) access conditions. It contains over 2.5 million rows of data and describes domestic gas and electricity energy use in Great Britain 2020-2023 based on data from the Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) Observatory, which consists of smart meter and contextual data from approximately 13,000 homes that are broadly representative of the GB population in terms of region and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile. This aggregated dataset can be used, for example, to show how residential energy use in GB varies over time (monthly over the year and half-hourly over the course of the day); and can be broken down by occupant characteristics (number of occupants, tenure), property characteristics (age, size, form, and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)), by type of heating system, presence of solar panels and of electric vehicles, and by weather, region and IMD quintile.

Secure Access data
A more detailed set of SERL data, including smart meter data and additional contextual data, is available under restricted Secure access conditions under SN 8666: Smart Energy Research Lab Observatory Data: Secure Access. It is a longitudinal dataset containing records from August 2019, with updates provided to researchers on a (roughly) quarterly basis. Users should download this safeguarded access statistical study first to see whether it is suitable for their needs before considering an application for the Secure dataset.

The second edition (May 2024) includes summaries of daily average energy use in a data file for 2020-2023, and summaries of half-hourly average energy use in four data files for 2020-2023, as well as an accompanying technical document.

Energy (electricity and gas) consumption in households across Great Britain.

Tackling London’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a huge challenge. The impact of these emissions goes far beyond the city’s boundaries. From the electronics we buy and the food we eat to the clothes we wear, most are produced and transported globally. The Mayor, together with London Councils and ReLondon, has jointly commissioned Leeds University to develop a historic trend of consumption-based emissions for London. It uses the latest available data (running from 2001-2021) on average expenditure on different types of goods and services. This methodology aligns with equivalent national government datasets at the UK level. Findings London’s consumption-based emissions in 2021 were around 80 MtCO 2 e. They’ve fallen by 24 per cent since 2001, despite the city’s population increasing by 1.4 million over that time. This means emissions per head have reduced by 35 per cent (from 13.9 to 8.98 tCO 2 e per person). The biggest drop in consumption-based emissions was between 2008 and 2009 during the global financial crisis, when households’ average spending decreased. Post 2009, emissions stabilised then steadily reduced from 2014 to 2020, bar a small increase from 2017-2018. This period of emissions reduction has been mainly driven by decarbonisation of the UK electricity sector. The national context London’s per capita consumption-based footprint is slightly lower than the UK average. It also follows a similar trend in reduction over the same period. However, at a sector level there are some cases where the per capita emissions for Londoners are different, for example: Transport – London’s use of transport is unlike any other region in the UK. Private transport emissions are much lower than any other region, and public transport emissions are the highest in the country. As a result, London has the lowest per capita transport emissions of any region and is lower than the UK average. However, London also has one of the highest per capita aviation emissions. Transport emissions were still unusually low in 2021 due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing, water, electricity, gas, other fuels – Compared to other regions in the UK, Londoners spend less on heating and power. This is a function of increased household occupancy rather than lower energy bills and more efficient homes. Food and drink – Compared to other regions in the UK, Londoners spend less on meat, which contributes to a lower food footprint per capita. The international context The Mayor wants to recognise the full environmental impact of London’s consumption by publishing this data. We hope this will encourage more cities to publish their consumption-based emissions data so we can identify similarities and work together to bring these emissions down.