Ten major power companies sold a total of 841.48 billion kilowatt-hours in fiscal 2002, up 2.1 percent from the previous year, a power company association said Friday.
It was the first time in two years that domestic power demand increased on a year-on-year basis, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said.
The federation attributed the rise mainly to increased use of heaters during the winter because of colder weather than the year before.
The volume of electricity sold to large-lot customers -- a key barometer of economic trends -- increased 2 percent to 261.38 billion kwh, also up for the first time in two years.
Power demand from all businesses except textile and ceramic industries posted yearly gains.
However, "It is too early to declare a full-scale economic recovery," a federation official said.
Electric demand by households rose 3.5 percent to 263.44 billion kwh and that for industrial use grew 1.1 percent to 362.32 billion kwh.