Energy Price Survey: Nearly Half of Households Are Cutting Back
Almost half of the households already have to cut back due to higher energy costs. And 17 percent of respondents are currently unable to pay their bills on time.
As figures from the previous year show, Austrians are still not inclined to switch electricity providers. Despite a price drop compared to 2023, four out of ten respondents said they wanted to switch electricity providers. However, only 17 percent actually switched.
Energy Costs: Expensive Electricity
Around 46 percent of respondents in this year's survey stated that their electricity bill was higher this year than the previous year. While 14 percent said that prices had increased by at least 31 percent, 3 percent of respondents pointed to an increase of more than 61 percent. About a quarter said that prices had remained the same. And 20 percent reported a lower electricity bill. However, only a few assumed a significant price reduction here. In the previous year, 35 percent of respondents had a lower electricity bill than the year before, and only 31 percent had a higher one.
Regarding electricity network fees, 57 percent of respondents noticed an increase on their bills. And 49 percent also saw a price increase in gas network fees.
Incentives for Energy Alternatives
Among the energy forms used, respondents mentioned electricity first, followed by district heating and gas. Around one fifth (21 percent) of the population uses self-produced electricity. Half of them have a home storage system, and a third plan to acquire one.
Every fifth household heats with pellets, wood chips, or wood, which is especially common in rural areas. And 8 percent said they heat with oil - down from 11 percent the previous year. More than a third of this group plans to switch to another heating system. Alternative methods such as air/water/heat pumps (around 10 percent), thermal solar systems (7 percent), or biomass (1 percent) have not yet caught on. Incentives would need to be created here, noted Christina Khinast-Sittenthaler, head of the energy sector at EY Austria.
(APA/Red)
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