Britain’s electricity demand has risen for the second year in a row after two decades of decline, marking a decisive turning point as electric vehicles, heat pumps and AI data centres usher in a new era of electrification.
Provisional figures for 2025 show electricity consumption rose by 3 per cent, the fastest annual increase since 2001, according to analysis by Imperial College London for Drax Electric Insights. It is the first time the UK has recorded two consecutive years of demand growth since 2002–03.
Electricity use reached an estimated 273 terawatt-hours (TWh) this year, up from 266 TWh in 2024 and 262 TWh in 2023. Demand had peaked at 347 TWh in 2005 before falling steadily as appliances became more efficient, heavy industry declined and parts of the economy de-industrialised.
That long-term trend now appears to have reversed.
“We have reached a turning point after 20 years of demand falling,” said Iain Staffell, associate professor of sustainable energy at Imperial College and lead author of the Electric Insights analysis. “Electric vehicles, heat pumps and the data centres powering AI are now pushing up electricity demand.”
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