Stockholm: Swedish households slashed their electricity use in September and October, with consumption dropping by nearly a quarter in areas with the highest prices, local media reported.
Sweden is divided into four areas with different electricity pricing, and in some regions in the south where consumers pay the most per kilowatt-hour (kWh), consumption dropped by nearly 25 per cent compared to the average of previous years, Xinhua news agency reported citing the local media.
Utility company Eon has seen a similar drop, with households in Stockholm and further south lowering consumption by 19 per cent in September, and 18 per cent in October.
In the northern part of the country, where prices are usually considerably lower, Eon has seen a 12 per cent decrease in usage in October, said the local media report.
National power grid operator Svenska kraftnat has warned that in the event of a very cold winter, households could find themselves temporarily without electricity.
Since Europe was plunged into an energy crisis due to the impact of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine on gas deliveries, Swedish people have become used to unusually high energy prices.
Electricity prices in Sweden have repeatedly soared to record highs during the last few months, with peaks of close to eight kronor per kWh.
According to Statistics Sweden, prices increased by an average of 25.6 per cent in October compared to the same month last year.
–IANS
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