The study examined the determinants of electricity consumption for the Egyptian economy over the period of 1971–2012. An Engle‐Granger and the Phillips‐Ouliaris tests revealed that a long‐run relationship exists between electricity consumption, price, income, urbanisation, financial development, carbon emission, trade and education. Estimating the effects of these variables on the country's electricity consumption, the Phillips and Hansen (Review of Economic Studies, 57, 1990 and 99) Fully Modified OLS and Park's (Econometrica, 60, and 119) Canonical Cointegrating Regression models were employed. The estimated results showed that income, urbanisation, financial development, trade and education positively affect electricity consumption. While industrialisation had negative effect, price and carbon emissions were found not to have any significant effect on electricity consumption in Egypt. Policy implications based on the results are discussed.