Gas bills are set to rise by 9 per cent for vulnerable customers

Gas bills for vulnerable customers in October have risen by 9.1 per cent compared with September. This was announced by ARERA, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment, which has highlighted a sharp rise in wholesale prices. The update affects around 2.3 million customers still covered by the Vulnerability Protection Scheme. According to the Authority’s data, the price of the gas commodity alone stands at 88.36 euros per megawatt-hour. The overall reference price, on the other hand, stands at 176.80 cents per cubic metre, including taxes: approximately €1.77. This figure represents a 9.1 per cent increase compared with September. The calculation is based on the new typical customer: a household with an average annual consumption of 1,100 cubic metres.

According to the breakdown provided by ARERA, the largest component of the bill is for the supply of natural gas and related activities: 97.06 cents per cubic metre, accounting for 54.9 per cent of the total. Added to this is the retail sales charge, which amounts to 5.83 cents and accounts for 3.3 per cent. These two items therefore account for a combined 58.2 per cent of the cost. The second largest component is taxation. Taxes amount to 41.68 cents per cubic metre and represent 23.57 per cent of the final price, just under a quarter of the bill.

The Authority further specifies that the cost of transport and meter management amounts to 27.25 cents per cubic metre, representing 15.41 per cent of the total. This item includes distribution, metering and transport services, as well as distribution equalisation and quality costs. Finally, system charges amount to 4.98 cents per cubic metre, accounting for 2.82 per cent of the total.