In 2018, households accounted for 26.1% of final energy consumption in the European Union (EU). Most of the EU final energy consumption in the households is covered by natural gas (32.1%) and electricity (24.7%). Renewables account for 19.5%, followed by petroleum products (11.6%) and derived heat (8.7%). A small proportion (3.4%) 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 (63.6% of final energy consumption in the residential sector). Electricity used for lighting and most electrical appliances represents 14.1% (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 14.8%.
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 78.4% of the final energy consumed by households.
For more information, including statistics for EU individual Member States, take a look at the Statistics Explained article on energy consumption in households.
Note: The European Union (EU) includes 27 EU Member States. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Further information is published here.
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