Germans will use less energy in 2026 - there's a reason for that

According to an projection, total energy consumption in Germany will fall significantly in 2026. A decline of almost three percent compared to the previous year is to be expected, reported the Working Group on Energy Balances (AGEB) in Berlin.

Experts from business associations and several institutes see two main reasons for this: the persistently high energy prices and the weak economic development.

More economical heating

Many people pay more attention to their consumption and heat less. This is particularly evident with heating oil: the decline from January to September was over 38 percent. According to the AGEB, consumers have reduced their inventories due to high prices and have only purchased small quantities.

After the US and Israel attacked Iran, heating oil prices shot up. According to data from the comparison portal “Fastenergy”, average heating oil prices in Germany rose by almost 80 percent. During the same period, the exchange-traded price of crude oil recorded an increase of around 48 percent.

Increase in hard coal for electricity generation

“The development of consumption was characterized by a decline in mineral oil sales and a further decline in the contribution of lignite,” the AGEB continued. However, there was an increase in consumption of natural gas and hard coal.

Mineral oil consumption fell by more than twelve percent overall in the first nine months of the year. The declines varied depending on the energy source. The decline for petrol was four percent and for diesel it was over nine percent. Sales of aviation fuel fell by three percent, and deliveries of raw gasoline to the chemical industry fell by around five percent.

More electricity abroad

The AGEB also found that in the first nine months more electricity flowed abroad than was purchased from there. The balance was 1.9 terawatt hours. In the comparable period of the two previous years, electricity exchange still had significant import surpluses.

In absolute numbers, domestic primary energy consumption in the first three quarters was 10,356 petajoules. In terawatt hours the value is 2,877.

Renewables continue to increase

For the year as a whole, the Energy Balances AG expects a decline in energy-related CO2 emissions of almost four percent. At the same time, renewable energies are gradually gaining in importance. Wind power, solar energy and biomass are contributing more and more to the supply of electricity and heat and are expanding their role. In the first nine months of 2026, renewables accounted for a total share of 22.5 percent of total energy consumption. Last year it was 20.5 percent.

The fossil fuels oil, natural gas and coal continued to provide the majority of the energy consumed in Germany, at a combined 75.5 percent. The remaining shares include, among other things, amounts of electricity generated by waste incineration.