The global electricity market has seen a volatile few years with the pandemic causing massive changes in residential usage followed by effects resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.  

Each country including Norway struggles to find ways to reduce what have become extraordinarily high utility costs. Please see www.bestestrøm.no/dagens-strømpris/ for details on the effects of current electric prices.  

Electricity is an energy resource most relied on to function day in and day out. It’s responsible for keeping the computer running and the internet active, a primary component for work and personal efficiency.  

Power is responsible for keeping the lights, appliances, and TVs working. But what will have the greatest impact on electricity consumption in a country? 

Tips On What Influences Daily Electricity Consumption in a Country IE Norway 

Many factors influence daily electric consumption in countries including Norway. These can be major worldwide events like the pandemic, which changed how consumers use energy, along with the Russian-Ukranian conflict.  

These are significant factors but often fluctuations are related to conditions that directly affect the country including weather, growth within the population and economy plus economic structural changes.  

In Norway with minimal rainfall, the reserves can deplete causing electricity rates to soar exponentially for residential and commercial customers reliant on hydropower.  

The country and its residents will search for a more cost-efficient electricity resource. First, it’s essential to understand what affects the daily cost. Here are factors that play a part in that price.  

• The country’s population 

Population growth within a country will influence indirect and direct use. Household demand for resources will increase as the population rises. This will include heating, electricity, and transport.  

In Norway the increase is expected to grow to roughly “6 million by 2030 – even with energy use remaining stable the rise of hundreds of thousands of people will mean roughly 8.5 TWh in energy use.” 

In that same vein, more people living in the country means a greater workforce producing more products and services. That means a need for more expansive plants, markets, offices, and retail facilities.  

In addition, these families will need care centers for their children, school systems, and healthcare facilities, all these consuming higher levels of energy on a daily basis increasing the prices for the average user.  

• Economic growth  

Economic growth is incredible for a country, meaning an increase in demand for products and services and overall revenue that benefits the country. Still, it also means a need for energy resources.  

Producing goods and services requires activity, including electricity, transport, and heating or cooling, which results in energy costs being elevated daily. 

• The daily industrial structure 

The Norwegian economy comprises numerous industries with varying energy consumption levels, some considerable. The manufacturing sector as an example is among the industries that are particularly energy-intensive compared to other services.  

With structural changes, less intensive industries are becoming more prevalent with less energy use than is expected with more intensive sectors. The energy consumption will rise slowly and incur a lower price point than when accruing at an intensive rate while continuing to benefit the economy. 

• Technology 

Advances in technology have complex effects on energy consumption. While advanced technology tends to function more efficiently, there’s the potential for increased usage of newly introduced equipment.  

As far as the economy is concerned, technological advances tend to stimulate growth, driving the economy to new heights but will also mean an increase in energy use.  

Production in these industries is generally shifted to a more capital approach which translates to energy-intensity regardless of efficiency of use. 

• The costs 

The costs of energy influence the overall use and the mix of products. If the price for a carrier increases, it can reduce the consumption and increase the demand for other providers in the long term.  

Looking at it in the short term, there are restrictions on how much energy can be reduced and whether a consumer can switch to another provider. Substantially high costs incurred over a period are necessary to make it financially worth switching or decreasing use.  

When energy costs rise, it’s not an immediate response to trade out an inefficient appliance or change the heating resource. On its own, rising costs will bring a lower demand and a lower production of products and services. 

Learn about potential new energy resources at https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/norway-mandate-solar-power-new-government-buildings-2024-2023-06-13/. 

An energy-intensive sector will see fewer profits, while a minimally energy-intensive sector will profit more. The long-term can see high energy rates bringing lower energy-intensive structures to decrease the energy demand. 

In that same vein, each provider varies with their efficiency, and this will affect the demand from one consumer to the next. Some countries, not all maybe not Norway, but some might find the need to switch to electricity instead of using diesel or petrol to run autos in an effort to become more energy efficient.  

Others find this less effective since charging a car’s battery is more cost-intensive since it only lasts for a limited amount of time.   

Charging to bring it back to capacity takes a considerable period of time, which seems to be counterintuitive to conserving energy. Who has the right solutions? They’re still working to achieve these.  

Final Thought 

Electricity prices continue to soar daily in Norway, the surrounding countries and globally. High energy costs have never been something the citizens of Norway have had to contend with.  

They’ve always had extremely low prices with the ability to use electricity as they wish. Go here for details on why electricity is so costly in Norway. 

Now they don’t know how to contend with the prices with government officials helping with the overages until a more permanent and effective solution can be decided. 

One thing Norway will need to do is figure out how to be more energy efficient, something new to them, never a consideration before. That could mean looking at other energy resources, residential and commercial usage cutbacks, and becoming a more energy-conservative country overall.