In 2020, households accounted for 27.0% of final energy consumption in the EU. Most of EU final energy consumption in households is covered by natural gas (31.7%) and electricity (24.8%). Renewables accounted for 20.3%, followed by oil and petroleum products (12.3%) and derived heat (8.2%). A small proportion (2.7%) is still covered by coal products (solid fuels).
Energy consumption in households by type of end-use
In the EU, the main use of energy by households is for heating their homes (62.8% of final energy consumption in the residential sector). Electricity used for lighting and most electrical appliances represents 14.5% (this excludes the use of electricity for powering the main heating, cooling or cooking systems), while the proportion used for water heating is slightly higher, representing 15.1%.
Source dataset: nrg_d_hhq
Main cooking devices require 6.1% of the energy used by households, while space cooling and other end-uses cover 0.4% and 1.0%, respectively. The heating of space and water consequently represents 77.9% of the final energy consumed by households.
For more information:
- Statistics Explained article on energy consumption in households
- Dedicated section on energy
- Database on energy
Methodological note:
- Electricity produced from renewable sources (e.g. hydro, wind, solar photovoltaic) is included under electricity and not shown as renewables. In this context, renewables include only those sources that are directly consumed by households, such as solid biofuels (e.g. firewood, wood pellets), biogas, solar thermal energy from active systems and ambient heat captured by heat pumps.
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