Important drivers of specific fossil-fuel consumption are the fuel price, in general, and relative price differences between coal, oil products and natural gas. Of course, energy policies also are aimed to manage fossil-fuel use.
In addition, energy consumption is affected by certain preconditions, such as weather: warm or cold winters affect the demand for space heating and in some countries hot summers affect the demand for air conditioning.
Moreover, the topography, orography and climate of a country affect activities such as distances travelled and the potential for renewable energy such as hydropower, wind, solar and tidal energy).
Section 3.2 presents general trends in the fuel mix,
Section 3.3 shows changes in energy-efficiency, and
Section 3.4 looks more specifically at renewable energy.