Energy

Annual electricity consumption per 1,000 inhabitants was very similar in the compared cities between 2012 and 2021. The higher consumption levels in Zurich appear to be exceptional and may instead be related to the relatively lower use of district heating supplies. There is a clear trend towards a slight reduction in electricity consumption in most cities, including Prague. 

Chart: Electricity consumption per capita in MWh/year

Year: 2012–2020

Area: City territory

*Source: Czech Statistical Office - Statistical Yearbooks of the City of Prague - from data of the Energy Regulatory Office, wien.gv.at, swm.de - Stadtwerke München, MDPI - Energies 2021, ksh.hu, sparenergi.dk, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Medi Ambient i Serveis Urbans - Ecologia Urbana, Agència d'Energia de Barcelona, stadt-zuerich.ch, opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/ - CBS, istat.it

Amsterdam with an IPR Prague calculation 

District heating consumption per 1,000 inhabitants shows significant differences among the nine compared cities (the necessary data were not available for Amsterdam). This may be due to the varying degree of policy preference of district heating or due to different climatic conditions. For example, Barcelona does not report any district heating consumption in its energy balance. Prague has below-average consumption, with a long-term downward trend. Urban consumption trends can logically be influenced by annual climatic fluctuations.

Chart: District heating per capita in MWh/year

Year: 2012–2020

Area: City territory

*Source: Pražská teplárenská, a.s. - annual reports, wien.gv.at, swm.de - Stadtwerke München, MDPI - Energies 2021, ksh.hu, sparenergi.dk, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Medi Ambient i Serveis Urbans - Ecologia Urbana, Agència d'Energia de Barcelona, stadt-zuerich.ch, istat.it 

Natural gas consumption per 1,000 inhabitants can be described in a similar manner. Here, Prague has average consumption levels, but again with a long-term downward trend. Amsterdam, Munich, Budapest, and Milan have higher consumption levels than Prague. On the other hand, we see relatively low consumption in Warsaw, yet this is not very clear in the graph as the only consumption figure ascertained (from 2019 – 2,960 MWh/year per 1,000 inhabitants) is almost the same as the consumption in Barcelona. The lowest consumption was recorded in Copenhagen, which - like Warsaw - reports a relatively high level of consumption of district heating. 

Chart: Natural gas consumption per capita in MWh/year 

Year: 2012–2020

Area: City territory

*Source: Czech Statistical Office - Statistical Yearbooks of the City of Prague - from data of the Energy Regulatory Office, wien.gv.at, swm.de - Stadtwerke München, MDPI - Energies 2021, ksh.hu, sparenergi.dk, Ajuntament de Barcelona, Medi Ambient i Serveis Urbans - Ecologia Urbana, Agència d'Energia de Barcelona, stadt-zuerich.ch, opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/ - CBS, istat.it 

The figures for Budapest, Amsterdam, and Milan are based on approximate IPR Prague calculations from m³