Energy consumption of the US in April 2020 fell to its lowest level in more than 30 years as the novel coronavirus has weakened energy demand, the country’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in a statement on Wednesday.
APRIL’S STAY-AT-HOME CAUSED LARGE DROP IN ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Energy consumption in the month of April this year was also 14% less than the same month of last year, and this was the largest year-over-year decline in the US since 1973 for the monthly total energy consumption.
“In 2020, April was the height of stay-at-home measures enacted to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, which caused a large drop in transportation, industrial, and commercial sector energy consumption,” the statement said.
“Stay-at-home orders and other travel limitations caused petroleum product supplied, which is a proxy for consumption, for fuels such as motor gasoline and jet fuel to fall to their lowest levels in decades,” it added.