Already from October 1

Fixed: district heating prices in Graz to fall by 20 percent

The decision has been made: The district heating price in Graz will be reduced by 20.13 percent as early as Tuesday (October 1), saving an average household around 300 euros a year - according to the provincial government. The KPÖ, on the other hand, speaks of only 15 percent less.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, a pricing authority based at the provincial government has set the district heating tariffs for Graz. Around 90,000 customers are affected. The decisive factor is the opinion of a non-official expert, which arrived this week: the "economically justified price" is in the range of 12.7 to 13 cents per kilowatt hour.

On Friday, the price authority set the maximum price at 12.7 cents, which, according to the state government, corresponds to a tariff reduction of 20.13 percent. For an average district heating household with a consumption of 7500 kilowatt hours per year, the savings amount to around 300 euros. The price reduction will apply from October 1.

KPÖ speaks of deception
"This is the next step in the fight against inflation and we are pleased that it has finally become possible," said Governor Christopher Drexler (ÖVP) and his deputy responsible for finance, Anton Lang (SPÖ). They also demand: "This trend towards lower prices must be continued."

KPÖ Member of Parliament Werner Murgg, on the other hand, speaks of a "sleight of hand". This is because the communicated 20 percent refers to the official maximum price last set in 2022 - which in reality has already been undercut for a year. The actual reduction for district heating customers is therefore only 15.3 percent. (Energie Graz could also set an even lower tariff now).

New push for merger
The provincial leadership emphasizes that the prices are based on an "expert assessment, which was drawn up completely uninfluenced by political calls". Without naming them, Drexler and Lang criticized the KPÖ, which had already claimed the forthcoming reduction as a success on Thursday. "A race to see who has exerted the most pressure is election-related banter." 

The ÖVP and SPÖ are once again bringing into play a merger of the district heating divisions of Energie Steiermark and Energie Graz, as recommended by the provincial audit office. This could sustainably reduce costs for district heating customers. However, the City of Graz rejects the project.