Natural gas usage in Iran hit a new high on December 6 as freezing temperatures swept across the country.

A statement by the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) issued late on Monday said that gas consumption by households and businesses had reached 530 million cubic meters (mcm) per day, up 6% from the previous day.

The statement said household and business usage has accounted for 64% of the total gas supplied to Iran’s national grid.

The rise in consumption came as temperatures dropped by an average of 5 to 8 degrees Celsius across Iran, said the NIGC. That came as temperatures dropped to zero in the capital Tehran on Monday.