Questions & Answers about El consumo es más bajo de lo que estima la empresa.
Because más bajo de lo que... is a very common Spanish comparison pattern meaning lower than what... or lower than ... says/thinks/estimates.
In English, we often say:
- lower than the company estimates
- lower than what the company estimates
In Spanish, after a comparative like más bajo, mayor, menor, más alto, etc., you will often see:
- de lo que
So:
- más bajo de lo que estima la empresa = lower than what the company estimates
Here, lo que means something like what / that which, and de is part of this comparative structure.
Lo que is a neutral expression that refers to what or that which, without naming a specific noun.
In this sentence, it refers to the amount/level that the company estimates, not to a specific masculine noun. That is why lo que works well.
Compare:
- de lo que estima la empresa = than what the company estimates
If you used el que, it would sound like you were referring to a specific masculine noun already mentioned, which is not what is happening here.
And más bajo que estima la empresa would sound incomplete or unnatural in standard Spanish. The normal structure here is más bajo de lo que...