“While analyzing statistics isn’t everyone’s favorite activity, a few insights can help you calm down and reduce stress levels as the heating season begins. Knowing how heating bills change, in which months they are usually higher, in which months they are higher, and in which ones they are lower, we can plan our finances accordingly and not be surprised when we receive heating bills, but be prepared for it”, comments Aušra Čiuplienė, General Director of “One Account” .
Heating was the cheapest 2 years ago
Most of the time, the highest heating bills reach residents in December, January, February and March, but statistics reveal that they do not decrease very much in April, so in order to understand the dynamics of heating prices in Lithuania, it is most relevant to analyze this period. According to the data of the “One Account” payment platform, which serves more than 200,000 households throughout Lithuania every month, heating prices decreased in 2020-2021. during the heating season and then increased annually.
Analyzing the heating season bill data of the last few years available to “One Account”, it can be seen that residents paid the cheapest for the most expensive months of the heating season (December, January, February, March and April) in 2020-2021 – the total average bill for these months in all of Lithuania reached 50, 96 EUR. In previous years, the average amount of the bill was slightly higher – 51 EUR, and in 2022-2023, that is, last December and January, February and March of this year, it reached an average of 90 EUR per month.
“Such growth seems extremely high, but here it is very important to remember that it was at that time that the war in Ukraine started, which led to inflation, a sudden rise in electricity and gas prices. We cannot forget the fact that at that time the gross domestic product of the country also grew, and the salaries of the residents also rose, so not everyone felt that change so strongly.
Therefore, we should consider this increase in heating prices in recent years not as normal, natural, but strongly influenced by unforeseen external influences, after which, it is likely that heating prices should either fall somewhat or return to a slow, more moderate growth. Such a forecast can be made by looking at the historical data of heating prices, which reflect that heating prices, even under the influence of complex external factors, do not always rise: they fluctuate, sometimes rise, sometimes fall”, comments the General Director of “One Account”.
We pay the most for heating in the first two months of the year
According to “One bill”, people receive the highest heating bills in the months of January and February.
“Sometimes we hear the surprise that the bills are the highest in these months and that they decrease very slightly in March and April. However, it is important to remember that we receive bills one month later. Knowing these facts, people should plan their expenses accordingly, because the trend that we pay the most for heating in January-February is strong enough and repeats every year.
It is for the months of February and March, when we receive the bills for January and February, that less expenses for other needs should be planned so that the heating bill does not frighten and remember that the bill received in April reflects the temperature outside in March. This is precisely why we cannot relax too early and reduce the planned budget for heating as soon as the first rays of the sun shine.”, advises Aušra Čiuplienė.
In December, heating accounts for about a third of the total amount of utility bills
Another important aspect in order to estimate how much the cost of utility taxes will increase when the winter cold starts and the heating comes on at full capacity is what percentage of the total taxes we pay specifically for heating.
2019-2023 According to “One Account”, heating bills in December amounted to about 30 percent. the total amount of taxes paid, in January and February – between 40 and 50 percent.
“Such data allow us to understand how strongly the total bill for paid utilities can change in different months. It is clear that the total amount of bills is the highest in December-February every year because we have to pay for heating. But knowing that, for example, in December heating will account for about a third of all bills, and in January and February it can be about half or more, we can not only better plan our finances for those months, but also pay more attention to how much we use, for example, water and electricity “, says Aušra Čiuplienė.
According to her, if we don’t pay much attention to saving electricity and water during the non-heating months, perhaps it is worth making more of an effort to use electricity during the most expensive heating period, when it is the cheapest, and to save water more: “There are various measures for this: washing at a lower temperature and at night, trying unplugging all electrical outlets when not in use, etc. But if we see that even this may not be enough, and in January and February the heating bills will be unbearably high, there are also solutions, for example, service bill insurance.”
According to A. Čiuplienė, utility bill insurance is a unique product that covers incoming bills in case of illness, accident or job loss. This insurance covers up to 6 months of invoices submitted by suppliers on the “One Invoice” platform. The compensated amount of one monthly bill can reach up to 250 euros.
Vilnius residents paid the largest part of taxes for heating
Although knowing in which city people usually pay the least for heating will not help you plan your finances this year, but it can become an argument when choosing where to buy a home in the future.
According to “One Account”, the smallest part of all service taxes for heating in 2019-2023. January, February, March, April and December. period was paid by Kaunas residents, where heating accounted for 43% on average. of all taxes, and Klaipėda residents – 44 percent. from the basket of all service accounts. In the mentioned period, the residents of Vilnius paid almost 47% for heating on average. all tax amounts.
“By summarizing the available data, it can be safely concluded that despite the small differences in heating bills between the three big cities, all residents can have a rule that at least one third of the total utility bill should be prepared for heating in December, and about 50 percent in January, February and March.”
Also, an important lesson from analyzing such historical data is that January and February are likely to have the highest heating bills of all three winter months, so it’s important to keep this in mind when planning your personal finances. Well, and of course, don’t forget to follow the data, and if you don’t feel confident, buy service account insurance”, advises Aušra Čiuplienė, head of “One Account”.
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2024-08-08 00:42:58
