In October, Wien Energie tightened the price screw for new customers again. After about 29 cents gross per kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity in the “Optima relaxed” tariff, which the energy supplier offered to its existing and new customers until the end of September and which was often criticized as expensive, it now even charges a working price of more than 40 cents for new contracts for a kilowatt hour of electricity – and is still the cheapest provider.
According to the tariff calculator of energy authority E-Control, Wien Energie is the cheapest provider in the city with “Optima relaxed”, even after the recent price increase for new customers to above 40 cents. Wien Energie guarantees its customers that the price will not change for a year. So if you sign a contract at the end of September, you are guaranteed the 29 cents for a year. Anyone who switches to Wien Energie from October can in any case be sure that the gross consumption price of around 41 cents will not change for a year.
As a spokesman for Wien Energie explained, prices in the “Optima eased” rate for new contracts are routinely adjusted every three months to reflect current market levels. The current price list is valid from October 1 to December 31, 2022.
Hardly any small electricity suppliers anymore
Electricity prices have risen sharply since 2021, not just in Vienna and Austria, but across Europe. As a result of the price rally, there are not many left of the many smaller electricity providers that have offered tariffs in recent years with a working price of sometimes only around five cents per kilowatt hour. Some, like recently Go Green Energy, quit their new business, others withdrew completely from the market.
In addition to Wien Energie, only a handful of suppliers in the federal capital offer. The second cheapest provider is Verbund, which charges new customers 49.20 cents gross per kilowatt hour, including sales tax. Due to the high prices for new contracts, consumer advocates recommend checking whether the existing supplier is cheaper before switching rates.
Municipal energy suppliers are usually the best bidders
Not only in Vienna, but also in the other federal states, the major municipal energy suppliers are currently the best bidders when it comes to new contracts. In Lower Austria this is currently EVN with a working price of about 40 cents, in Salzburg Salzburg AG with 27.60 cents and in Burgenland Burgenland Energie with 37.58 cents.
In Styria the Stadtwerke Judenburg are the cheapest for new contracts with a working price of 47.76 cents, in Tyrol the TIWAG with 46.37 and in Upper Austria and Carinthia the association with 49.20 cents. Only in Vorarlberg has the new, high price level not yet arrived. In the Ländle, a kilowatt hour of electricity will cost just 11.62 cents for vkw even in October 2022.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
