Already from October 1

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

The heating season will be cheaper again this year.

(Bild: Alexander Schwarzl)

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. Political small change will also be exchanged.

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 a range of 12.7 to 13 cents per kilowatt hour, according to which the tariff reduction must, as reported, be at least 18 percent.

The price authority has now set the price at 12.7 cents on Friday, which 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.

Provincial government criticizes the KPÖ
"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."

The state 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 a merger of the district heating divisions of Energie Steiermark and Energie Graz into play. This could sustainably reduce costs for district heating customers. However, the City of Graz rejects the project.