The main reason for this is the sharply increased electricity costs, which rose by 45.4 percent compared to the previous month, according to the Austrian Energy Agency. Compared to the previous year, households are now paying around 35.5 percent more for electricity than in January 2024.

The overall increase in all energy costs was significantly more moderate at 2.7 percent compared to the previous year, as the prices for other energy sources such as natural gas and wood pellets have significantly decreased.

End of Electricity Price Brake

With the turn of the year, important government support measures, including the electricity price brake, ended. Additionally, network costs and charges are no longer cushioned by the state budget, further burdening electricity prices. "A large part of the current cost increases is not due to pure energy prices, but to higher network costs and charges," explained Lukas Zwieb, energy economics expert at the Energy Agency.

Prices for diesel and super gasoline also rose by 3.7 percent each in January compared to the previous month. While diesel remained 2.1 percent cheaper compared to the previous year, super gasoline became 2.5 percent more expensive compared to the previous year. Heating oil cost 5.8 percent more compared to December, but remained 3.0 percent below the level of January 2024.

Relief Could Come

For the coming weeks, the Energy Agency still expects a slight relief in fuels and heating oil. The agency recommends that households actively reduce their energy costs through comparisons and switching providers. Further savings are possible by using energy-efficient devices, reducing electricity consumption, or participating in renewable energy communities.

(APA/Red)

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