The gas bill for families in the protected market continues to fall, with a 13% reduction in consumption in February compared to the previous month, which had also seen a significant drop. Arera – Authority for the Regulation of Energy, Water, Waste – updated the tariffs in accordance with the new practice at the beginning of the month, and refers that, due to this new decrease, we are almost offsetting the increase seen in the last prices of the year .
According to reports from Arera, “the expenditure on gas for the typical household in the current year”, which runs from March 2022 to February 2023, “is approximately 1,666.23 euros”, which is equivalent to an increase of 16 % over the equivalent 12 months of the previous year (i.e. March 2021 to February 2022).
Based on the average trend of the Italian wholesale market – explains Arera – in the month of February 2023 and for consumption in the same month, for the typical family under protection there is “a 13% reduction in the account compared to the month of January 2023, which had already suffered a sharp reduction”.
For the month of February, which recorded an average wholesale price even lower than that of January, the price of raw material gas (CMEMm), for customers with contracts under protected conditions, is equal to 56.87 euros per ( megawatt hour ) MWh. For February 2023, the reference gas price for the average customer is 86.45 euro cents per cubic meter, including taxes.
Arera then recalls that – as provided for in the Budget Law for the first quarter of 2023 – the general system charges have already been eliminated, also for gas; the negative component UG2 for gas consumption of up to 5 thousand msc (standard cubic meters) per year is also confirmed, as well as the reduction of VAT on gas to 5%. “The February reduction, in terms of final effects – notes Arera – is close to offsetting the high price levels reached last year”.
Source: IL Tempo
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