Rise in gas and electricity prices, crisis in Ukraine which might worsen the situation: all Belgians have seen their purchasing power decrease, with concrete consequences for a good number of them. This Wednesday 23 February, RTL info is mobilizing to respond to your questions related to your energy bills. Answers from experts, but also analysis and testimonials, will follow one another throughout the day. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., you can reach Test Achats experts at 0800 23 530.
9:30 am – ANALYSIS: Have our policies reacted correctly to rising energy prices?
The amount of energy bills does not stop increasing and we wonder regarding the behavior of our governments in this crisis. Why do we have the impression that our politicians are delaying and acting softly in the face of this increase in the price of invoices? > READ THE FULL ARTICLE
9am – ANSWERS FROM THE EXPERTS: Fixed or variable contract?
After an hour of calling our call center, there is really a concern that comes up very often, noted our journalist Justine Pons. Many people are lost: what to do? Which contract to choose? Julie Frère, spokesperson for Test-Achat, answered them this: “A fixed-rate contract gives you a bit of security, you know what you’re going to pay each month. But we are in a period where prices are high, so you have to have the discipline to check, every 3 or 4 months, if the prices have changed and if it is appropriate to change the formula with my supplier, either change energy supplier (you just have to give one month’s notice)“. > READ THE FULL ARTICLE
8:15 a.m. – AT THE ROEULX FUEL PUMP: “The prices, it becomes mind-blowing”
Sébastien De Bock was at a petrol station on Wednesday morning. There are many vans, contractors or workers, who come to refuel at this time of day. This is especially the case with David. He travels 400 km a day for work, he comes twice a week to fill his tank. “We can see the difference, it’s clear. The prices, it’s becoming mind-blowing. It’s no longer possible”. Its full of the day: 121 euros. “We hope it will decrease, but we wonder when”. Anthony, a worker at La Louvière, makes the same observation. “We work in Waterloo, so a hundred kilometers a day. Our boss asks us to go more slowly on the motorway because we consume less when driving at 90 than at 120. So we are careful”.
8 a.m. – OPENING OF THE CALL CENTER at RTL House: “The telephone is heating up”
Justine Pons is with those who answer your calls on 0800 23 530. Experts from Test-Achats answer their questions. And from 8 a.m., the demand is important: “The phone is heating up”she tells us.
7:50 a.m.: POLITICS – The Federal Minister of Energy was the guest at 7:50 a.m., she calls suppliers to order regarding direct sellers…
Federal Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten was Fabrice Grosfilley’s guest at 7:50 am in Bel RTL’s Matinale. In particular, she mentioned the door-to-door sale of suppliers (we you were talking to recently of Raphael’s case). “They sometimes have cowboy practices”, she says. She indicates that suppliers have until the end of the month to draft a charter to regulate this practice. “I assure you that this is really the last chance, if the suppliers do not regulate the practices, we will ban them.” > READ ARTICLE
7:45 a.m. – AT THE MORNING MARKET IN LIÈGE: €1,500 of electricity per month for a poultry farmer
Guillaume Fraikin was at the morning market in Liège this Wednesday morning. A market where dozens of wholesalers, traders and restaurateurs from the region. And clearly, the cost of energy has an impact on the activity. At this frozen food supplier, for example, the prices of 1,500 products have already been increased. Other merchants are trying to limit damage for their customers, and are looking for solutions, in particular by installing photovoltaic panels; the consumption of some people is falling thanks to its developments, but not the bills. Fridges and (very large, see below) cold rooms consume a lot: invoices display 4 to 5 digits. For the moment, wholesalers are hanging on and hunkering down. We met a poultry farmer who now pays 1,500 euros for electricity… per month!
7:30 a.m. – TESTIMONY: Jean-Pierre has put an end to his domiciliation with Mega
Jean-Pierre lives in Libramont, and recently decided to put an end to his domiciliation with the supplier Mega, following the gigantic increase in his monthly bill (provisions). “In March 2021, I paid 101 euros per month. And then there was a closure in April. At that time, I repaid €168, which is normal for an adjustment invoice”. Our witness is not worried, thinking that it was too low monthly payments. He therefore imagines that these will increase. “But that was not the case: from May to September 2021, I continued to pay around 110 euros per month. And all of a sudden, in October, I paid 141 euros (largely increased provision, via direct debit, without his agreement). And then February, 334 euros!”. All this, for an equivalent consumption. He canceled the direct debit, and has since been trying to contact Mega for an explanation, but has received no response. “I’ve been in business all my life, and I’ve never seen a supplier who refuses to explain”.
7:15 am – GIVE YOUR FEELINGS
7 a.m. – TESTIMONY: Sophie “mightn’t pay 420 euros for electricity per month”
Throughout the day, we also hear your testimonies, your experiences in the face of this incessant rise in energy prices. That of Sophie in particular, of Sambreville. She is married, has one child, two dogs and two cats. She had a fixed contract until last July, when she opted for a variable contract at Luminus. Result: his electricity bill went from 150 to 250€, and we advise him to pay 422€ per month! “At first, I’m going to stay on 250 euros, and I’m going to see what happens with this story of dropping VAT to 6%. We’ll see what happens, first. I hope that at some point, it’s going to go the other way, even though deep down I know it’s not going to be the case. Anyway, to be honest, I mightn’t pay 420 euros for electricity per month. There are groceries, gas, children… it’s not possible. Next year, my son has to go to university, it will still be a big expense. energy is still rising, I don’t know how we’re going to do it”. She is currently thinking of canceling her next vacation.
6:30 a.m. – ANALYSIS : Why have energy prices risen so much in recent months?
Over the past year, the electricity bill of an average Belgian household has increased by 80%. That of gas, 174%. For 15 years, the electricity bill of a Walloon household which has an average consumption has doubled. The prices on the gas bill, over the same period, have more than doubled. For a Walloon household which has an average consumption of gas, electricity and which spends a hundred liters of petrol per month, energy today represents a cost of 510 euros in its monthly budget. This is 116 euros more than three years ago (figures from Cwape, the Walloon energy policeman).
What are the reasons for these dizzying increases? After the slowdown in global economic activity, linked to the Covid19 pandemic, the recovery everywhere at the same time is leading to a strong demand for energy (to relaunch production, transport of goods, etc.). And who says strong demand, says rising prices. On gas specifically, the very strong Asian demand was coupled with maintenance concerns in production on European sites (Norway, etc.). Geopolitical tensions are also put forward, to explain the variations in the prices of fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal, uranium, etc.): crisis with Russia, crisis in Iran, etc.
Why is diesel/fuel oil so expensive in our country? Our fellow citizens who live near a border will have noticed: in recent years, the price of diesel has increased more strongly here than among our neighbours. It has even become more interesting to fill up in France than at our service stations. One of the reasons for this change lies in the “gift” made by the Michel government to the Belgian taxpayer: the famous tax-shift. In return for cuts on the tax bill, N-VA Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveld had dramatically increased the excise duty on diesel; to gradually bring its price to that of gasoline.
Why is the price at the pump so high, when the barrel has already been much higher? In 2012, a barrel of oil (Brent) sold for up to 146 dollars. While it is only … 97 dollars now. So why, at the time when oil was more expensive, we were at 1.6 euros at the pump, once morest 1.85 today? 1. The Euro was stronger than it is today once morest the dollar. With fewer euros, we bought more dollars. The change in our common currency contributed to increasing our purchase price of oil. 2. Belgium has significantly increased its excise duties on diesel, during the 2014-2019 government of Charles Michel, via several ratchet mechanisms. And this, to partly finance the “tax-shift” (discounts on the tax sheet). 3. Current geopolitical tensions drive up the market price of finished petroleum products (including diesel).