In 2023, the total final energy consumption in the services sector in the EU was 4 937 petajoules (PJ), down 1.9% compared with 2022 (5 069 PJ). However, looking at the period from 1990 to 2023, the total final energy use in the sector rose by almost a quarter.
In the EU in 2023, the share of the services sector’s final energy consumption was 13.5%, far smaller than transport activities (32.0%), households (26.3%) and the industry sector (24.6%), only exceeding agriculture, forestry and fishing (3.2%).
Electricity (51.2%) and natural gas (26.0%) accounted for more than three-quarters of the final energy consumption of the sector, followed by renewables and biofuels at 8.4%. Heat accounted for 7.7%, oil and petroleum products 6.2%, while the remaining 0.6% were taken by other energy products such as coal or waste.
Source dataset: nrg_bal_s
Health and social work overtook hotels and restaurants
In 2023, the largest sub-sector in services in the EU was wholesale and retail trade, with a final energy consumption of 847 PJ, or 20.0% of all final consumption by services. Retail trade activity alone accounted for 538 PJ in the sub-sector.
The wholesale and retail trade sub-sector was followed by professional, scientific, technical activities and other services with a consumption of 478 PJ (11.3%), human health and social work activities with 468 PJ (11.1%) and accommodation and food service activities with 450 PJ (10.6%). Human health and social work activities overtook accommodation and food service activities in energy consumption, mainly due to more natural gas and renewable consumption in the former sub-sector and less natural gas in the latter one.
Source dataset: nrg_d_serq_n
