Natural gas consumption Jan and Feb. 2023…5 year lows!
https://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/weekly/
U.S. natural gas consumption reaches five-year lows in January and February 2023
U.S. natural gas consumption in both January and February reached its lowest levels since 2018, averaging 104.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in January 2023 and 103.0 Bcf/d in February 2023, according to our Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). Consumption in January was 10% lower than in January 2022 and 5% lower than the five-year (2018–2022) average for January. February natural gas consumption was 6% lower than in February 2022 and 3% lower than the five-year average for February.
Natural gas consumption in the residential and commercial sectors, which was 18% lower in January and 12% lower in February than in the same months in 2022, drove the decrease in overall natural gas consumption. Consumption was low because of above-average temperatures in those months, particularly in the regions where natural gas consumption makes up a large share of fuel used for space heating.
January 2023 had 22% fewer heating degree days (HDDs) than January 2022 and 16% fewer HDDs than the five-year January average. The decrease from January 2022 to January 2023 was greater partly because January 2022 was colder than normal and resulted in 12% more HDDs than the five-year (2017–2021) January average. Mild weather continued in February this year, leading to 13% fewer HDDs than in February 2022 and 12% fewer HDDs than the five-year February average.
Fewer HDDs at the beginning of 2023 led to lower natural gas consumption in the residential and commercial sectors in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast, where natural gas accounts for the highest percentage of heating fuel.
In the Midwest region, natural gas consumed in the residential and commercial sectors averaged 10.8 Bcf/d in January 2023 and 10.5 Bcf/d in February 2023, according to data from S&P Global Commodity Insights. The residential and commercial sectors consumed 20% less natural gas in the first two months of 2023 than in the same period in 2022 and 16% less than the five-year average for the two months combined.
Similarly, in the Northeast region, natural gas consumed in the residential and commercial sectors averaged 12.7 Bcf/d in January and 12.8 Bcf/d in February 2023. The residential and commercial sectors consumed 23% less natural gas in the first two months of 2023 than in the same period in 2022 and 22% less than the five-year average for the two months combined.
In the Western region, natural gas consumption in the residential and commercial sectors in January and February 2023 averaged 2% less than in January and February 2022 and 1% less than the five-year average for the two months combined. Although the region experienced one of the coldest winters in years, it relies less on natural gas for space heating than the Midwest and Northeast. In contrast, changes in weather have a greater affect on electricity generation in the region. Natural gas consumption in the electric power sector was 23% higher in the first two months of this year than in January and February 2022 and 33% higher than the five-year average for the two months combined.