When it comes to electricity, the average increase for industry, households and businesses across Austria is around 11.25 percent, and gas network fees rise by an average of three percent, the regulatory authority E-Control announced on Monday. For an average household, this means additional monthly costs of around 2.70 euros for electricity and 90 cents for gas network fees.
Inflation, increased investments and reduced sales volumes are primarily responsible for the increase in electricity network fees, according to E-Control. The levy to end consumers fell by 2.4 percent in 2022, on the one hand because self-generation of electricity increased, and on the other hand because more energy was saved in view of the massive increase in prices, explained E-Control board member Wolfgang Urbantschitsch. The higher network fees are reflected in almost all network areas, with network fees for electricity only falling in Burgenland and Upper Austria, the regulatory authority wrote.
Network fees make up a third of the total electricity bill
Network fees make up around a third of the total electricity bill. An average household with an annual consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) must expect an increase of around 11.23 percent for 2024, which corresponds to additional costs of around 32 euros annually or 2.70 euros per month.
Lower sales volumes to end consumers, higher investment costs and inflation are also responsible for the increase in gas network fees. Here, network charges also make up around 30 percent of the total gas bill. “For an average gas-heated household with an annual consumption of 15,000 kilowatt hours, the network fees increase on average across Austria by three percent or 90 cents per month,” calculates E-Control board member Alfons Haber. Gas network fees are rising significantly in the federal states of Vienna, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, but network fees are falling in the network areas of Styria, Lower Austria and Carinthia.
Gas network fees will also fall for customers on network level 2, which forms the higher-level transmission network with network level 1. A larger model customer who purchases 90 gigawatt hours (GWh) of energy saves an average of around 25 percent in network fees compared to 2023.
