EIA: Power sector gas use drops 3% in 2025 on solar
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- EIA reported the U.S. electric power sector's natural gas consumption fell 3% in 2025, even as total U.S. natural gas consumption rose 2% to a record average of 92 Bcf/d.
- The decline reflects rapid solar and battery additions that displaced natural gas-fired generation during many daytime hours, according to EIA's Wednesday report.
- March and August saw the steepest year-over-year drops in electric power gas consumption, down 2.9 Bcf/d and 2.8 Bcf/d respectively.
- Residential and commercial gas demand surged to offset the power-sector loss, with combined February 2025 consumption rising 9.5 Bcf/d over the prior year; residential demand rose 11% and commercial demand 9% for the full year.
- Electric power demand for natural gas averaged 35.8 Bcf/d in 2025, down 1.0 Bcf/d from 2024, though the sector remains the largest single U.S. natural gas consumer.
- January 2025 set a new winter monthly consumption record of 126.6 Bcf/d, driven by cold-weather heating demand and increased electric heat pump and resistance heater usage.
Why it matters: The electric power sector, the largest U.S. natural gas consumer, cut its gas use by 3% (1.0 Bcf/d) in 2025 while total demand still hit a record 92 Bcf/d — meaning residential and commercial heating absorbed the growth. For utilities and gas-fired generators, daytime displacement by solar and batteries is already reshaping when and how much gas generation runs, even before coal retirements accelerate.
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