The tariffs of the bills go up again and this time the increases are heavy: from Sunday 6,5st July +8,2% for electricity and +XNUMX% for gas. This was announced by the Energy Regulatory Authority, specifying that the decision is due to "international tensions and the consequent sharp acceleration in oil prices". The price of crude oil has increased "by 57% in one year and by 9% in the last month of May alone", heavily influencing "the prices in the wholesale energy markets as well, with repercussions on the prices for end customers both of the free market and of the protected market”, reads the press release.
For gas, explains the Authority, the impact on expenditure for domestic customers is less significant in consideration of the very low consumption in the summer period. The new increases cancel out the decreases recorded in the second quarter of 2018 (-8% for electricity and -5,7% for gas).
On the electricity front, the expenditure for the typical family before taxes will be 537 euros a year, with a variation of +4,8% compared to the previous 12 months, about 24 euros more. In the same period, the cost of the average family for the gas bill will be around 1.050 euros, a figure up by 2% on an annual basis, equal to around 21 euros. These are the Authority's calculations.
According to the National Consumer Union, however, the increase will weigh, over the course of next year, by "33,5 euros for electricity and 83,5 euros for gas: a total blow of 117 euros".
The seasonal effect also weighs on the price of electricity, with electricity prices traditionally higher than in the other quarters in the third quarter (in the last three years, prices were on average 17% higher). Gas prices, on the other hand, are determined by geopolitical factors, but also by the high demand to fill stocks in view of the winter, which are pushing up the same prices for electricity production.
