UK Electricity Generation per Person Falls to 1960s Levels
The United Kingdom Generates Less Electricity per Person Than in the 1970s
UK electricity generation per person has dropped by over a third from its 2003 peak, returning to late-1960s levels. While increased imports and deindustrialization explain part of the decline, falling residential and commercial consumption—driven by efficiency gains like LED bulbs and appliance standards—has played an equally important role.
The most common explanation is deindustrialization: as the economy shifted from manufacturing to services, electricity demand fell. That’s part of the explanation, but far from all of it.