Czechs consumed less gas and electricity year-on-year in October. In the case of gas, year-on-year consumption was down by more than a quarter last month, according to data from Amper Meteo. This company tracks energy consumption in the Czech Republic in the context of the weather over the long term. For electricity, the year-on-year saving in October was over seven percent.
In October, Czech households and businesses consumed 27.1 percent less gas year-on-year. The main reason for the savings is apparent: favorable weather. “Compared to the last five years, last October was the warmest on record,” Amper Meteo noted on its Twitter account.
After adjusting the data for the weather and without counting the Počerady steam power plant, the savings were “only” 11.5 percent. “This is still a relatively good result from our point of view. However, in September, the savings were 27.9 percent, which is significantly higher,” Kamil Rajdl, an analyst at Amper Meteo, said.
“This is probably mainly because people managed to delay the start of the heating season in September. Even though October was warm, the colder nights will also do their part, and people simply have to heat sometimes, although to a lesser extent than in the same conditions in previous years,” Rajdl added.
So far this year, however, the results have continued to be favorable. Consumption is down 19.4 percent year-on-year, and when adjusted for the effects above, i.e., weather and Počerady, the savings are nearly 12 percent.
“October shows us how the individual energy savings of each of us help the whole society. We managed to reduce gas consumption by almost 200 million cubic meters, i.e., by 27.8 percent compared to the average of the last three years,” he said on his Twitter account.
The positive impact of photovoltaics
Amper Meteo’s data also shows that the Czechs are saving on electricity. In October, consumption was down 7.1 percent year-on-year and 6.2 percent after adjusting for weather. According to Amper, one of the reasons may be the rapid development of rooftop photovoltaics.
“Although we do not have exact figures, the mass installation of rooftop PV, i.e., greater self-sufficiency of both companies and households, has been a big trend recently. This logically means a decrease in electricity consumption from the grid,” explained Rajdl.
As in the case of gas, individual energy-saving measures can also significantly impact lowering electricity consumption. “Although there is, of course, less room for savings with electricity than with gas,” Rajdl added.
For the period January-October, the savings of electricity compared to gas are somewhat symbolic. It is 2.6 percent and 1.8 percent after weather adjustment.
It remains to be seen whether the positive trend of reduced consumption will continue in the coming months. The willingness to save could be weakened by the energy price cap, which households and small and medium-sized businesses are already starting to see in their November prepayments. “It is certainly possible that the price caps will reduce the willingness to save among some people, but we would only speculate on specific numbers,” Rajdl concluded.