Electricity tariff falls, gas price rises

Energie Steiermark and Energie Graz are reducing electricity prices by 25 percent starting in October. Gas prices will increase by ten percent starting in July.

In an interview with the Kleine Zeitung newspaper at the beginning of April, board members Martin Graf and Werner Ressi first announced that electricity prices would be "significantly reduced." On Friday, Energie Steiermark announced the scope and timing of the tariff reduction. Starting in October, electricity prices will be reduced by 25 percent.

Why not until October? This is due to a legally dictated lead time, they argue. For the first time, customers must actively agree to the reduction. More than 260,000 private customers with a fixed tariff are affected – they will receive a corresponding notification in the coming weeks, according to the company. After the reduction, the electricity price for the fixed tariff will be 16.41 cents/kilowatt hour (gross). "We therefore appeal to you to pay attention to the corresponding notification letter – it will pay off," say Graf and Ressi. As in the past, these legal changes are being implemented proactively and promptly in order to avoid legal disputes, such as those that have recently arisen with some suppliers, which has always been successful so far. "The annual electricity savings for an average Styrian household with a consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours will amount to around 200 euros," they emphasize. According to the company, this reduction puts them among the top four lowest-cost providers in the country for existing electricity customers. "With this significantly noticeable reduction in energy prices, we are passing on the benefits of a more favorable market environment and can thus make a concrete contribution to reducing costs for domestic households," said Graf and Ressi.

Energie Graz will also reduce its tariff by a similar amount starting in October. For a good 70,000 households and small businesses with fixed-price tariffs, the electricity price will also drop by 25 percent, to 15.78 cents per kilowatt hour (gross). Active customer consent is also required here, and information letters will follow. Energie Graz's managing directors, Josef Landschützer and Boris Papousek, stated that they are "fulfilling their promise to pass on the positive market development as quickly as possible."

However, gas tariffs at Energie Steiermark and Energie Graz are on the rise. Starting July 1, the tariff will increase by ten percent. The tariff is based on the gas price index, which is based on international exchanges and has been moving upwards in recent months. According to the company, the natural gas tariff will then be 5.98 cents per kilowatt hour (gross). At Energie Graz, it will increase to 5.93 cents gross per kilowatt hour. However, it is pointed out that there have been three gas price reductions totaling around 70 percent since May 2023. In the years prior to that, however, prices also rose sharply.

Manfred Neuper

Current rates: The current rate for the "SteirerStrom Fix" product is 21.82 cents per kilowatt hour (including VAT). In addition, there is a basic flat rate of €6.24 (including VAT). At Energie Graz, the fixed tariff is currently 21.24 cents per kWh, with a monthly basic fee of €6.78. The energy price for Energie Steiermark's "SteirerStrom Flex" product, a tariff based on price developments on the electricity exchange and adjusted monthly, is currently 9.96 cents per kWh (including VAT), plus a monthly flat rate of €4.20 (including VAT). Energie Graz's Flex tariff is 13.313 cents per kWh, with a monthly basic fee of €4.20. The E-Control tariff calculator offers a tariff comparison across all providers – for gas and electricity – at e-control.at/tk. Information on Energie Steiermark's social tariff for people affected by energy poverty is available at e-steiermark.com/grundversorgung.

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