Network costs for electricity and gas will increase sharply from January 1. For electricity, households are expected to increase by an average of 23.1 percent and for gas by 16.6 percent. This is evident from the draft regulations of regulator E-Control.
The so-called network costs are determined by E-Control and the values are usually published in December for the following year. In addition, taxes will increase, which can make energy a few hundred euros more expensive every year.
Strongest increase in electricity in Vienna and Lower Austria
For electricity, network rates will increase the most in Lower Austria and Vienna, by more than 30 percent (see graph below), followed by Styria with 29 percent and Upper Austria with 25.6 percent. In Burgenland, electricity network rates are also rising at 23.6 above the Austrian average.
Of the larger grid areas, electricity grid costs are the highest in Carinthia. According to the preliminary documents, Kärnten Netz will collect 11.77 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) from January. It will also be more than ten cents in Innsbruck, Lower Austria and Styria. Network costs are lowest in Vorarlberg and Linz, around seven cents.
Network rates for gas up to 29.4% higher
For gas, network rates will increase the most in Upper Austria with 29.4 percent, followed by Burgenland with 21.7 percent and Lower Austria with 21.2 percent. In Vienna, Vorarlberg and Styria they increase by about 14 percent, in Tyrol and Salzburg by about nine percent. The increase is lowest in Carinthia at 1.5 percent.
It is expected that the costs for the gas network in Vienna will be highest in the future at 2.73 cents per kWh. This is followed by Burgenland with 2.65 cents and Tyrol and Upper Austria with 2.48 and 2.45 cents respectively. Gas network rates are lowest in Salzburg at 1.72 cents and Vorarlberg at 1.78 cents. At 1.85 cents, network rates in Lower Austria also remain below the 2 cent limit.
Network costs are part of the electricity bill and represent approximately one third of the total costs; the pure energy price – only here it is possible to change supplier – and taxes and levies. The network costs reported by the network operators are checked for accuracy by E-Control and distributed to customers in the form of network fees based on their consumption.
Higher network costs because energy consumption decreases
The reason that network rates will rise sharply in 2025 is because on the one hand the amount of energy purchased from the network decreases, but at the same time the costs for maintaining and expanding the networks increase. Higher costs are therefore spread over fewer energy units consumed.
Electricity and gas bills will likely be higher in 2025 for another reason. In 2022, due to the energy crisis, taxes on electricity and natural gas were kept to a minimum. This scheme expires at the end of 2024; an extension would require a change in the law.
The end of the electricity price brake at the end of the year
The electricity cost subsidy, also known as the electricity price brake, also ends at the end of the year. In total, household energy bills could increase by a few hundred euros annually – depending on the network area and consumption.
It is also still unclear whether and to what extent the renewable subsidy contribution and the renewable subsidy lump sum will be due in the coming year. These were suspended in 2022 and 2023 and financed from the budget this year.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
