Wien Energie sends out the district heating bill: What will the prices be?

The good news first: Vienna Energy Don’t expect many Back payments and they are likely to continue in the coming months Prices maintain their level.

Prices at Wien Energie in the heating season

There are two tariff models for district heating – those that are subject to the official price notice and indexed tariffs. For those customers who are subject to the price notice, Wien Energie will continue the discounts from the previous year in the coming heating season: the labor price will be discounted by 43 percent and the basic price by 20 percent.

Indexed contracts are primarily based on the wholesale price for natural gas, which, according to Strebl, should remain stable. “At the moment we are seeing a sideways movement,” said the CEO. In the event that market prices become significantly more expensive, Wien Energie has a 50 million euro protection package tailored for indexed tariffs.

When is there a risk of additional payment?

One Additional payment According to Wien Energie, customers only have to worry about the current annual bill if their heat or hot water consumption has increased or if the partial amounts were too low, for example because they have only recently moved into a new apartment and the consumption has not yet increased was assessed correctly. The partial amounts for the coming year are likely to remain unchanged for customers who are subject to the price decision.

In the case of indexed tariffs, an increase in the partial amounts for the coming year is to be expected, as this is the case Energy assistance package of the energy supplier expires in 2023, which had ensured significantly reduced partial amounts this year. The partial amounts are likely to increase from November/December, “because they will be raised back to the normal level,” said Strebl. “The bottom line is that the costs remain constant,” said the Wien Energie boss.

Since 2013: Only indexed tariffs at Wien Energie

The two Tariff model are roughly comparable to fixed and variable tariffs for electricity. Unlike electricity, however, as a tenant you cannot choose which variant you get. Billing is regulated in the so-called Heating Cost Billing Act. Which group you belong to is stated in the contract and in the annual statement. Of around 450,000 household customers, around two thirds currently have a contract that is subject to the price notice. In the future, the proportion of indexed tariffs will increase.

Older contracts are usually based on the official price notice from the city of Vienna. Vienna Energy can do that Adjustment of this price notice apply if the production costs change. This was last the case in 2022. The household has a direct contract with the energy supplier.

District heating price in Vienna

It has been around since 2004 indexed tariffsin which price developments on the energy market are automatically passed on to customers. Since 2013, only such tariffs have been concluded. Here, Wien Energie has a contract with the property management or the house owner, who is also responsible for the pro rata billing to the users in the house. In this case, the bill can come from the property management company, third-party providers or Wien Energie if the energy supplier is commissioned with the billing.

The District heating prices continues to be largely determined by Gas price on the wholesale market influenced, because around 50 percent of district heating in Vienna is produced from natural gas in so-called combined heat and power plants and cogeneration plants. Nevertheless, district heating produces significantly less climate-damaging CO2 than heating with a gas boiler. In the future, the energy supplier wants to increase the share of renewables in district heating generation and move away from gas. Then the index on which the district heating price is based should also be adjusted and linked to the new generation structure.

Gas supply secured in Vienna

The gas supply to Wien Energie customers has already been secured for the coming heating season, and the storage facilities are “bulgingly full,” said Strebl. The fill level is currently 95 percent. The energy supplier does not provide any precise information about its own storage capacity, but the volume is sufficient to supply all household and commercial customers for one winter.