The Burrow
Oct 9, 2025
Due to rising greenhouse gas emissions and large-scale deforestation, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, transforming from occasional inconveniences to a new normal.1
This ongoing climate change has created an urgent need for adaptation from individual households and national grids, especially as electricity demands continue to rise. Heaters are working overtime to combat the winter months, while air conditioning units run non-stop during the increasingly frequent heatwaves.2
All in an effort to maintain a basic level of comfort and safety for households.
And this isn’t an isolated problem. Winters are getting colder and summers hotter globally, and without the infrastructure to support these changing conditions, national grids are struggling to meet rising energy demands, resulting in surging household bills.
To illustrate the weather’s impact on energy usage, the energy plan comparison experts at Compare the Market examined five years of electricity demand, weather pattern data, and population data from major countries around the globe to explore how climate shifts and the usage of cooling and heating systems are driving up power consumption.
Read on to find out which countries are seeing the biggest spikes in demand and what this could mean for the future of energy use worldwide.
Winter temperatures are dropping sharply; what was once moderately cold has turned freezing. Families worldwide are working hard to heat their homes and stay warm and comfortable, but this comes at a cost.
The countries experiencing the largest spikes in electricity demand during the winter months include:
All these nations have seen energy demand rise by more than 25%, putting serious pressure on national grids as they scramble to supply significantly more electricity to households.
To put this into perspective, per-person electricity use has increased by 362.46 kWh in Sweden, 405.37 kWh in Finland, and 615.76 kWh in Norway. With a combined population of over 21.9 million people, the scale of this demand surge is staggering.
What’s more, this isn’t just a problem for colder countries. Even milder climates like the United Kingdom (+17.64%) and Austria (+17.61%) have experienced sharp spikes in energy consumption during cold snaps. This rising demand and the costly impact are a challenge many countries are facing, regardless of their usual weather patterns.
We’re seeing an almost identical pattern in countries during the summer months, where heatwaves that were once barely noticeable are now becoming a major challenge for residents.
Countries seeing the biggest impact during the heat are:
Greece claims the top spot with a much steeper rise in energy consumption compared to other countries, highlighting the intense pressure heatwaves are placing on its power grid. However, the widespread use of air conditioning and cooling systems is driving this surge in energy consumption across all the worst-affected countries.
Per person, Greece uses an additional 143.08 kWh, China 109.52 kWh, Montenegro 90.87 kWh, and Türkiye 67.86 kWh. With a combined population of 1.5 billion, the cumulative impact of this increased demand is staggering.
Even typically hotter countries are seeing rises – albeit more moderate – including Brazil (9.07%), Spain (8.86%), Malaysia (8.46%), and Australia (4.68%).
Beyond individual spikes in hot and cold months, we measured each country’s electricity demand by weather patterns to determine which are the most and least weather-dependent.
Leading the rankings is Sweden with a perfect score of 100, meaning its electricity demand varies almost entirely with temperature changes.
Other countries that rank highly on the weather-dependent scale include:
These findings show northern and eastern European areas are most sensitive to seasonal shifts, while Greece (92.92) stands out as the highest-ranked summer-driven nation, and Mexico (87.64) being the only Latin American country in the top 10 most dependent countries.
On the other hand, large economies show much lower scores. The US scored 14.56, with Australia close behind at 15.85, and China at 38.42, suggesting their energy usage is influenced more by industrial activity, policy, and efficiency gains rather than weather alone.
Climate extremes are reshaping global energy demands. Northern European countries are grappling with more unpredictable temperature drops, while southern Europe and parts of Asia are experiencing intense heatwaves.
Naturally, as energy use becomes more unpredictable, insurance and energy companies must rethink their strategies to help households manage volatile energy bills and adapt to this new reality.
Speaking on the topic, Meredith O’Brien – Head of Energy at Compare the Market had this to say:
“With energy costs rising in line with extreme weather events, getting savvy with how you use household energy is very important. For example, households can reduce bills by investing in energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, improving insulation, and using smart thermostats to manage consumption.
“Of course, regardless of what the weather is doing, you can potentially save by comparing energy plans and switching to a better deal.”
This dataset ranks 85 countries (90% of global electricity consumption) based on their monthly electricity consumption and how reliant their energy usage is on the climate.
The factors used were as follows:
How this analysis worked:
Electricity demand was converted into per-capita values, so results show true changes in household usage, not just population growth. We also compared monthly energy use with monthly average temperatures to see how demand rises in hot or cold months. To make this clearer, we used two standard measures:
By mapping energy use against these weather measurements over five years, we can show which regions are most sensitive to heat or cold and how extreme events have shaped demand.
Notes:
References:
Sources:
Monthly electricity demand data – https://ember-energy.org/
Monthly average temperature data – https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/
Annual population figures, adjusted to monthly values – https://worldpopulationreview.com/