Flying the main reason for increased Swiss energy consumption 

Air traffic recovered post-pandemic, with sales of aviation fuels rising by 19%, causing total energy consumption to rise by 0.3% Keystone / Ennio Leanza

Total energy consumption in Switzerland rose slightly last year to 767,450 terajoules, primarily due to air travel.  

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Although heating was higher in 2023 than in the previous year, it was increasingly fuelled by renewable energies.  

Air traffic recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic, with sales of aviation fuels rising by 19%. This caused total energy consumption to rise by 0.3%. According to a statement from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) on Thursday, less aviation fuel was still sold than in 2019, the year before the pandemic.  

In addition, 0.3% more fossil fuels for driving were sold than in the previous year, but likewise less than in 2019. Sales of petrol rose by 3.4%, while those of diesel fell by 2.1%. According to the SFOE, fossil fuels account for around a third of total end energy consumption. 

+ Appliance efficiency leads to drop in Swiss electricity consumption

Other factors that have an impact on energy consumption will also have increased in 2023: the population, economic output and also the number of motorised vehicles and homes.  

Due to cooler weather than in the previous year, more heating was needed in 2023, but the switch to renewables was reflected in the statistics. This is because the consumption of natural gas and heating oil fell despite the 1.8% increase in the number of heating degree days. Less electricity was also consumed.  

On the other hand, the consumption of wood fuel increased, as did the use of heat pumps and district heating. The share of these renewable energy sources in total end energy consumption has been rising continuously – in 2023, it was just under 12%. Fossil fuels for heating accounted for just under half of total consumption. 

Adapted from German by DeepL/kp/ts 

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