EIA: US 2025 natural gas consumption to reach record level
Key Highlights
- US natural gas consumption is forecasted to rise by 1% in 2025, reaching 91.4 bcfd.
- Record consumption levels were observed in January and February 2025, partly due to colder weather and a polar vortex event.
- The electric power sector's market share of natural gas consumption has decreased, with renewables and coal gaining ground in 2025.
- Overall consumption is expected to decline slightly in 2026 due to milder winter weather and reduced demand in residential and commercial sectors.
Natural gas consumption in the US will rise by 1%, reaching a record high of 91.4 bcfd in 2025, according to forecasts by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
In its most recent Short-Term Energy Outlook, EIA anticipates increased natural gas usage across all sectors, with the exception of the electric power sector, which was the primary driver of natural gas consumption growth over the past decade.
Driving the forecast was high natural gas consumption in the beginning of the year. In January, US natural gas consumption reached a record 126.8 bcfd, 5% more than the previous record set in January 2024, according to EIA’s Natural Gas Monthly.
In February 2025, the US saw natural gas consumption reach 115.9 bcfd, marking a 5% increase over the previous record set in February 2021. The increased consumption during the winter months can be attributed in part to colder weather, including a polar vortex event that occurred mid-January.
Typically, natural gas consumption peaks in January or February due to heightened demand for heating in residential and commercial buildings. According to data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 45% of households rely on natural gas as their primary heating source.
EIA estimates that US natural gas consumption decreased this spring and summer, compared with consumption over the same period last year, especially in the electric power sector. Natural gas remains the most prevalent source of electricity generation in the US, but so far in 2025 natural gas has lost market share in the electric power sector to coal, solar, and wind.
According to EIA, increases in natural gas consumed in the residential and commercial sectors is expected to offset decreases in natural gas consumed in the electric power sector. EIA currently forecasts US natural gas consumption will decrease slightly in 2026, due in part to expected milder weather in the winter months and therefore less consumption in the residential and commercial sectors.