In 2022, electricity consumption in non-domestic buildings in England and Wales decreased by less than 1% from 2021, following a 5% rise from 2020, according to official stats.
This minor decline may be due to high energy prices and warmer weather, despite significant increases in the hospitality and arts sectors.
Gas consumption fell 5% in 2022 compared to 2021, following a 2% drop in the previous year.
This decline affected all sectors, with education and offices seeing notable reductions.
Higher gas prices may have contributed to this decrease.
Energy consumption varies by building use, with the highest median electricity and gas intensities found in the hospitality, shops and health sectors.
Factories are the highest consumers overall, according to the newly published data.
A small percentage of high consumers account for most of the energy use.
Larger buildings, over 1,000m², make up a significant portion of total consumption despite being a small fraction of the total number of buildings.
