WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2020) US energy consumption in April declined to a three-decade low largely due to pandemic restrictions, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a report on Wednesday.
"April was the height of stay-at-home measures enacted to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which caused a large drop in transportation, industrial, and commercial sector energy consumption," the release said. "Energy consumption in April 2020 was 14% lower than in April 2019, the largest year-over-year decrease in EIA's monthly total energy consumption, a data series that dates back to 1973."
April also recorded the lowest monthly energy consumption since September 1989, the release added.
US petroleum consumption fell from 20.1 million barrels per day (b/d) last April to 14.7 million b/d, a 27 percent decrease and the lowest monthly petroleum use in the United States since May 1983, the report added. Stay-at-home orders and other travel limitations over the pandemic were major factors.
However natural gas consumption increased 2 percent from April 2019, to 74.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), likely due to residential use by consumers subject to stay at home orders, the report said.
