Britain’s electrical energy demand has risen for the second yr in a row after 20 years of decline, marking a decisive turning level as electrical automobiles, warmth pumps and AI information centres usher in a brand new period of electrification.
Provisional figures for 2025 present electrical energy consumption rose by 3 per cent, the quickest annual enhance since 2001, in accordance with evaluation by Imperial School London for Drax Electrical Insights. It’s the first time the UK has recorded two consecutive years of demand development since 2002–03.
Electrical energy use reached an estimated 273 terawatt-hours (TWh) this yr, up from 266 TWh in 2024 and 262 TWh in 2023. Demand had peaked at 347 TWh in 2005 earlier than falling steadily as home equipment grew to become extra environment friendly, heavy trade declined and elements of the economic system de-industrialised.
That long-term pattern now seems to have reversed.
“We now have reached a turning level after 20 years of demand falling,” stated Iain Staffell, affiliate professor of sustainable vitality at Imperial School and lead creator of the Electrical Insights evaluation. “Electrical automobiles, warmth pumps and the information centres powering AI are actually pushing up electrical energy demand.”
The rise displays speedy electrification throughout transport, heating and digital infrastructure. Installations of warmth pumps elevated by round 20 per cent in 2025, whereas electrical automobile gross sales jumped 28 per cent, with roughly one in three new automobiles offered now electrical. Energy demand from information centres, fuelled by synthetic intelligence, can be accelerating. It’s estimated to have doubled since 2020 and now accounts for 3–4 per cent of UK electrical energy consumption, with projections suggesting it might exceed 10 per cent inside a decade.
The Local weather Change Committee has beforehand warned that electrical energy demand could have to not less than double by 2050 if the UK is to fulfill its decarbonisation targets, a state of affairs that underpins authorities plans to develop technology capability and improve the nationwide grid at a value of tens of billions of kilos.
Crucially, the evaluation exhibits that the additional demand in 2025 was met solely by cleaner energy. Renewable technology rose sharply, led by a 35 per cent surge in photo voltaic output following the sunniest yr on file and the connection of latest photo voltaic farms. Photo voltaic nonetheless accounted for less than 7 per cent of the overall electrical energy combine, however wind remained the only largest supply at 31 per cent for the second yr working.
Fuel-fired technology supplied 28 per cent of electrical energy, whereas nuclear output fell to simply 12 per cent — its lowest share since 1980 — after prolonged upkeep outages and unplanned shutdowns at ageing reactors.
“Our energy system received cleaner similtaneously rising,” Staffell stated. “Renewables met all the additional demand positioned on the grid.”
Carbon emissions from electrical energy technology fell to their lowest degree since 1938 following the ultimate closure of coal-fired energy stations in 2024. Nevertheless, the associated fee influence was much less benign. Wholesale electrical energy costs rose by 12 per cent over the yr, pushed by larger fuel costs and a pointy enhance in carbon prices.
The information underline a basic shift within the UK vitality system: electrical energy demand is rising once more — not due to inefficiency, however as a result of energy is changing fossil fuels throughout the economic system. The problem now’s whether or not technology, networks and storage can scale quick sufficient to maintain tempo with out pushing prices sharply larger for households and companies.
