U.S. Energy Information Administration said Tuesday consumption of natural gas in U.S. reached a record 89.1 billion cubic feet per day in 2023. Since 2018 U.S. natural gas consumption has increased by an average of four percent each year. Monthly natural gas consumption set records every month from March 2023 through November 2023. U.S. natural gas consumption increased in the electric power sector as coal-fired, electric-generating capacity declined.
Last year the largest monthly increases in natural gas consumed by the electric power sector were in July and August (by six percent compared with 2022 to 47.5 Bcfd in July and 47.2 Bcfd in August).
In 2023 natural gas consumption fell by 10 percent in the residential sector to 12.3 Bcfd and by six percent or 0.5 Bcfd in the commercial sector. The largest increase came in the electric power sector, which increased by seven percent from 33.2 Bcfd in 2022 to 35.4 Bcfd in 2023.