In 2022, Denmark experienced historically high electricity prices, resulting in increased awareness among Danes about energy consumption. Many Danes were surprised by the significant increase in electricity prices in 2022, leading to a significant reduction in electricity consumption and an unprecedented eagerness to save, which continued well into 2023. According to new figures from the Danish Energy Regulatory Agency (Forsyningstilsynet), electricity consumption increased by 1.7 percent in 2023 compared to 2022. The Energy Regulatory Agency notes that this increase is significantly lower than the historical trend in the years before the energy crisis.
Energy conglomerate Norlys, which has 550,000 private electricity customers nationwide, has also observed this trend. Mads Brøgger, director of the energy business at Norlys, stated that customers have clearly been holding back on their electricity consumption, even in 2023. He points out that the energy crisis has made people much more aware of their energy consumption following the historical price increases and large fluctuations in energy prices in 2022.
These high electricity prices prompted many Danes to take a greater interest in electricity prices and use apps to monitor price developments. Many, for example, began postponing laundry to nighttime when electricity was cheapest. Although electricity prices have generally been decreasing since then, the eagerness to save still lingers among many Danes.
According to Mads Brøgger, electricity consumption in 2024 has not yet returned to pre-2022 levels. However, he adds that consumption is on the rise, partly because society is increasingly electrifying with more electric cars on the roads and more households installing heat pumps. Brøgger estimates that the interest in monitoring electricity prices via apps and planning electricity-consuming activities when prices are lowest is likely a habit that is here to stay.
This development represents a significant change from the past, where energy customers generally showed limited interest in energy prices. The energy crisis has thus created a new form of consumer awareness, which, according to Mads Brøgger, will continue into the future.