Czechia profile

Overview

Final energy consumption has slightly grown between the years 2000 and 2018. In 2018 the final energy consumption reached 25.9 Mtoe (at normal climate), i.e. it was by 0.4 Mtoe higher than in 2000. Energy savings and structural changes were not able to fully compensate the energy consumption growth driven by the activity and other effects. Whereas the energy consumption decreased significantly in industry (by 23%) and services (by 9%), it grew in households (by 9%) and in transport (by 58%).

Energy efficiency of final consumption, as measured by ODEX improved by an average of 1.7%/year from 2000 to 2018 (or 27%). Largest energy savings were obtained in the industry sector (3.1%/year), following by residential (1.4%/year) and services (1.3%/year). No real progress can be observed in the transport sector.

The Czech Republic set the final energy saving target of 51.1 PJ for the period 2014 - 2020 and 84 PJ (i.e. 462 PJ of cumulative savings according to the Article 7) for the period 2021 - 2030 in the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP). The Czech Republic has decided to reach the target by alternative measures. Two measures are the most important - the New Green Savings Programme 2014 - 2020, with expected energy total new annual savings of 10.3 PJ in the period 2014 - 2020, which focuses on energy savings in living buildings and the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness in industry sector with expected total new annual energy savings of 7.6 PJ in the period 2017 - 2020. Follow-ups of both programmes are about to start in 2021 with expected total new annual energy saving 19 and 2 PJ. Big expectations are related to the introduction of the Modernisation Fund, which could bring total new annual energy savings of 12.3 PJ. A typical cross-cutting measure is represented by the State Programme in Support of Energy Savings (Efekt), which concentrates on non-investment subsidies.

Buildings

In 2018, space heating accounted for 71% of the sector's consumption, water heating for 16%, cooking for 6% and electrical appliances for 7%. Space heating consumption increased by 0.14%/year since 2000. Consumption of electrical appliances increased by 1.6%/year and water heating by around 1.5%/year. Residential energy consumption increased by 0.45%/year since 2000.

Final energy consumption of households increased from 6.44 Mtoe in 2000 to 6.91 Mtoe in 2018. Energy savings (1.76 Mtoe), caused by massive insulations of dwellings, were over weighted by three other factors - more dwellings (1 Mtoe), larger homes (0.87 Mtoe) and more appliances (0.55 Mtoe). The contributions of climate correction and other causes to the energy consumption change were only small.

The energy consumption per employee in service sector decreased by 0.66%/year since 2000 but from the year 2014 it almost did not change. The electricity consumption per employee increased by 0.84%/year due to the diffusion electrical appliances in offices over the same period.

The main measure for the building sector is the New Green Savings Programme 2014-2020 which focuses on single family houses and apartment buildings. The Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness aims, besides others, at improving the energy performance of buildings in the business sector and the Operational Programme Environment has a Priority Axe supporting improvement of energy efficiency in public buildings. All three programmes have their follow-ups starting in the year 2021. Additional support to public buildings and business sector in the City of Prague (Prague was excluded from most operational programmes) will be provided from the Modernisation Fund.

Transport

Cars account for 60% of the sector’s consumption and road freight transport for 33%. Bus transport represents 3.6% and rail transport 3.3%. The rest represents air transport (0.5%) and water transport (less than 0.1%).

Long lasting repairs of highways and substantial improvement of the railway system led to increase of railway share in passenger traffic by 6 percentage points from 11.9% in 2000 to 17.9 % in 2018. The shares of cars and buses decreased from 67.2% to 66.6% and from 20.9% to 15.5% in the same period, respectively.

On the other side, the share of rail in freight transport decreased from 30.9% to 28.7%. As railway profiles are almost fully explored, the road freight transport has higher availability and is also more flexible.

Transport energy consumption has been increasing rapidly by 2.6%/year. This trend is caused by the development of transport activity (+0.85 Mtoe) (more passenger-kilometers and tonne-kilometers) and by other effects (+1.89 Mtoe). Impacts of modal shift and energy savings are negligible. Growing energy consumption in transport negates energy savings from other sectors.

Low energy savings in transport sectors are mainly caused by slow implementation of Operational programme transport, which focuses on modal shift measures. The main objective in freight transport is to switch from road transport to rail transport.

Industry

The industry sector exhibits the fastest decline in the energy consumption. Its final energy consumption decreased rapidly by 1.4 %/year. The largest share of 28% is attributed to the steel industry. Chemicals, non-metallic, non-ferrous and paper industries constitute 37% of the total energy consumption in industry.

Steel industry exhibits decreasing trend of energy intensity, it decreased by 12.7% in the period 2000 - 2018. A rather opposite trend was observed for the specific energy consumption of pulp and paper production, which grew by 36% in the same period, with quite big fluctuations.

Industry reached remarkable energy savings (5.16 Mtoe) in the period 2000 - 2018, but they were more or less compensated by the growth of industrial production (6.3 Mtoe). Structural changes from heavy to light industry had a substantial impact on final energy consumption in industry and contributed to a reduction by 3.93 Mtoe.

The most important measure in the industrial sector was the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness which through financial incentives (investment subsidies and low interest loans) supported energy efficiency measures. A follow-up programme will start in 2021.