Electricity bills: Bad news for families about tariffs

In Italy you spend an average of 77 euros a year cooking with an electric oven; that is, 42% more than the Swedes, 63% more than the French and even more than twice as much (+107%) than the Spaniards. Italy ranks sixth among the most expensive countries in Europe for electricity bills. It is the average electricity prices that make the difference. By examining the latest Eurostat data on the average electricity price charged to domestic customers in Europe, Facile.it discovered that Italy was one of the countries with the highest tariffs in the first half of 2023. In detail, it was determined that Italy is the sixth most expensive country in terms of electricity costs among the 27 EU countries, with the average tariff including taxes and system fees equal to 0.378 euros per kilowatt-hour. There are a few European Union countries with higher values: these include, for example, the Netherlands (+26%), Belgium (+15%) and Germany (+9%).

The difference in tariffs and the impact of household appliances

The list of countries with lower prices than ours is certainly longer: If we limit ourselves to the main countries: Sweden (-29%), Ireland (-35%), France and Greece (both -39%), Spain (-52%), domestic not to mention Hungary, where the average tariff for customers is 69% lower. So what impact does the difference in tariffs have on consumers’ pockets? To answer this question, Facile.it analyzed the consumption of the main household appliances, taking into account class B models, and it turned out that, all else being equal, we spend on washing the washing machine in Italy (220 washes per year). While around 111 euros are spent on electricity, the French need to budget only 68 euros, which drops to 53 euros in Spain. There is little consolation: But for Germans and Belgians the cost exceeds 120 euros.

What about using the refrigerator? Considering that we use it constantly almost all year round, the difference between different European countries is felt even more: for example, in Italy it is spent about 193 euros per year to operate a class B device, while the Irish spend 126 euros. This works out to 105 euros for those living in Portugal, or even just 93 euros for those living in Spain. In Italy we spend much more money even for washing dishes in the dishwasher: we spend 92 euros a year using this device every other day. If it is true that in the Netherlands it reaches 116 euros, it is certainly better in Greece and France (both 57 euros), Spain (45 euros) and Hungary (28 euros), among others. Estimates for the European countries examined are as follows:

Same family, same consumption, but…

That’s not all, because even ordinary actions such as watching television or drying your hair acquire a different economic dimension from country to country: For 4 hours of television program a day, Italians spend, for example, 49 euros. While it is 32 euros in Ireland, the cost of a hair dryer operated for 5 minutes a day is 23 euros a year, 14 euros in France and 7 euros in Hungary.

Taking as a reference the consumption of a typical Italian family (2,700 kWh) and taking into account tariffs in the first half of 2023, we discover that electricity bills in Italy this year could potentially be around 1,021 euros. For the same consumption in European countries where energy is more expensive, for example, it is expected to reach 1,114 euros in Germany and 1,283 euros in the Netherlands. Other European citizens are luckier: in Sweden, for example, the electricity bill will be 720 euros, in Ireland 669 euros and in Greece 628 euros.

Same family, same consumption, but if he lived in France, he would pay 626 euros, in Portugal, 559 euros, not to mention Spain’s 492 euros. Although only 750 km away from Italy as the crow flies, Hungary seems light years away – at least in terms of electricity prices: imagine, with the same consumption, with the tariffs in force. In the first half of the year, the annual expenditure of Hungarian families will reach only 313 euros.

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