Price sensitivity shapes energy consumption
According to preliminary calculations by the Working Group on Energy Balances (AG Energiebilanzen), domestic primary energy consumption in the first half of 2026 reached 5,341 PJ, or 182.2 Mtce. This was 1.9 % lower than in the same period of the previous year. According to AG Energiebilanzen, this means that the decline in consumption observed in the first three months of the current year has stabilised. However, trends varied across the individual energy sources.
AG Energiebilanzen reported that, due to further declines in production in the manufacturing and processing sectors, macroeconomic developments once again had virtually no effect on boosting energy consumption. The increase in consumption observed in the space heating sector during the first quarter weakened significantly as the year progressed. AG Energiebilanzen estimates that the rise in energy prices is likely to have a significant impact on energy consumption.
Consumption of petroleum products fell by around 8 % overall in the first six months of the current year. Petrol consumption fell by 0.6 %, whilst diesel consumption fell by just under 6 %. Sales of aviation fuel fell by more than 1 %. By contrast, supplies of crude petrol to the chemical industry rose by around 3 %. Sales of light heating oil slumped by more than a third.
Natural gas consumption recorded a slight increase of 1.3% in the first half of this year. The factors influencing consumption – weather, the economic climate and price trends – appear to have largely balanced each other out.
Consumption of hard coal rose by just under 7 % in the first six months. Its use in power stations for electricity generation increased by more than 5 %. Sales to the iron and steel industry rose by 4 %, primarily due to increased pig iron production.
In the first half of 2026, around 4 % less lignite was used in Germany than in the same period of the previous year. This trend reflects the ongoing decommissioning of power station capacity as part of the phase-out of coal, as well as the ability of lignite-fired power stations to adapt to the prevailing situation on the electricity market.
The contribution of renewable energies in the first half of 2026 was, overall, around 4% higher than in the same period of the previous year. Compared with the same period the previous year, which saw very low wind speeds, electricity generation from wind power increased by 12 %. Solar power generation grew by 4 %, whilst hydropower fell by 5 % due to weather conditions. Environmental energy harnessed by means of electric heat pumps recorded an increase of 19 %. Biomass consumption, which accounts for just over half of energy consumption from renewable sources, remained roughly at the same level as the previous year.
The net electricity balance with neighbouring countries was almost in equilibrium in the first half of 2026, following a significant net electricity import balance for Germany in the first half of both 2024 and 2025.
According to rough calculations by AG Energiebilanzen, energy-related CO₂ emissions fell by around 2.5 % in the first half of 2026. This corresponds to a reduction of around 8 Mt. (AG Energiebilanzen/ MRG)
