Manya Rathore
Research expert covering India
UK electricity consumption - statistics & facts
High electricity bills, warmer weather, and consumer behavior changes are causing electricity consumption in the United Kingdom to decline. Since 2022, the annual domestic electricity consumption in the UK has dipped below 100 terawatt-hours, a figure unseen in the country since the 1990s. Despite the price cap implemented by the government, the average domestic electricity bill in 2022 and 2023 was over 40 percent higher than in 2021, and consumers, worried about their energy bills, had to check their electricity use to cut energy expenses.
Power usage in the UK also varies by region. In 2022, households in the East of England registered the largest average domestic consumption. The South East and South West regions also had consumption rates above the national average, of 3.4 megawatt-hours per household.
The amount of electricity consumed in the UK follows a seasonal trend. Monthly electricity consumption in the UK typically peaks in the cold and dark winter months and experiences the lowest figures in June of each year. Declining electricity consumption is reflected in the monthly figures, which were on average three terawatt-hours smaller in 2023 than in 2019.
After the government’s Energy Price Guarantee (October 2022 to March 2024), an Ofgem price cap of 24 pence per kilowatt-hour for residential electricity customers with standard variable tariff and direct debit payment was implemented in April 2024. This measure created the conditions for the lowest energy prices in two years and will hopefully provide some relief to electricity consumers in the UK.
Electricity consumption trends in the UK
The domestic sector has been the largest final user of electricity in the UK for most of the current century. As in the residential sector, consumption from the industrial sector has been declining over the past decade, shrinking by 20 percent between 2010 and 2022.Power usage in the UK also varies by region. In 2022, households in the East of England registered the largest average domestic consumption. The South East and South West regions also had consumption rates above the national average, of 3.4 megawatt-hours per household.
The amount of electricity consumed in the UK follows a seasonal trend. Monthly electricity consumption in the UK typically peaks in the cold and dark winter months and experiences the lowest figures in June of each year. Declining electricity consumption is reflected in the monthly figures, which were on average three terawatt-hours smaller in 2023 than in 2019.
Rising electricity prices in the UK
One of the factors behind the decreasing trend in electricity consumption is the growth in power bills, the result of high wholesale costs following the tightening of the gas supply market, grid maintenance expenses, and environmental and social contributions. UK’s household expenditure on electricity increased by six billion pounds in 2022, reaching 26 billion pounds, while industry expenditure shot up to 13 billion pounds.After the government’s Energy Price Guarantee (October 2022 to March 2024), an Ofgem price cap of 24 pence per kilowatt-hour for residential electricity customers with standard variable tariff and direct debit payment was implemented in April 2024. This measure created the conditions for the lowest energy prices in two years and will hopefully provide some relief to electricity consumers in the UK.
