A recent study has revealed that households in Germany are using less electricity than in previous years. The study found that households in western Germany use over 5 percent more electricity than those in the eastern part of the country.

German electricity prices at a record high

A recent study by comparison site Check24 has revealed how much electricity households in Germany’s 16 federal states use every year. The study found that, on average, the nationwide electricity consumption during 2020 stands at 3.149 kWh. This illustrates a significant decline in energy consumption in Germany, with households using an average of 3.332 kWh in 2019, and 3.381 kWh in 2018.

Lasse Schmid, managing director at Check24, said that the reason for the decline in energy consumption is largely down to more efficient modern devices and record electricity prices. "More modern devices usually use less electricity, [and] at the same time the number of people per household has fallen in recent years," he said. “Due to the current record electricity prices, however, lower consumption alone does not pay off. Only by changing provider can electricity customers reduce their costs effectively. "

Who uses the most electricity?

The study found that consumers in the western part of Germany annually consume 3.169 kWh, on average. This is 5,4 percent more than their eastern counterparts, who consume 3.007 kWh a year, on average. The states of Saarland (3.340 kWh) and Rhineland-Palatinate (3.337 kWh) consume the most electricity. Households in Lower Saxony also consumed a higher-than-average amount of electricity (3.337 kWh), although this is perhaps unsurprising as households in Lower Saxony are amongst the largest in Germany.

Berlin (2.556 kWh) and Hamburg (2.677 kWh) consume the least electricity out of Germany’s federal states. The reason for Berlin’s surprisingly low average consumption of electricity is due to an above-average number of single households, as well as having the smallest household size, with only 1,79 people per household on average.