COPENHAGEN: The Danish Energy Association (Dansk Energi) has revealed that the Denmark’s energy use in 2014 was the lowest since 1972. The largest drop in energy use is from 2007-2014 came in Denmark’s production sector, where usage was down by 41 percent. Household use and the transport sector have both cut energy use by 20 percent while the retail and service sector has dropped its usage by 12 percent.
Danish Energy Association chief consultant Rasmus Tengvad wrote in Saturday’s Politiken stated “Since 2007, when Denmark’s energy use peaked, it has fallen by a whole 17 percent. This has happened while our GDP has fallen just slightly during that period and now sits very stabile”.
“It is an essential part of the Danish story that since 1973 we have provided proof that economic growth doesn’t have to mean greater energy use,” he wrote. Energy use fell by 2.3 percent in 2013 alone and newly-released figures from the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen) show that the downward trend continued through the first nine months of 2014. Although the year’s final energy calculations have not yet been revealed, it is expected that 2014’s energy use will be the lowest in 42 years.