Customers “would like to tear out the heating”: anger over expensive pellets

Compared to June 2025, you are paying around today 29 percent more for that. Customers show little understanding for this.

“The anger is enormous”

“People switching are asked to pay,” criticizes a KURIER reader. “I got a pellet heating system in September 2025 and bought five tons of pellets. This year in April I only got four tons for the same price.” Ulrike Weisshead of the consumer protection department of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labor, describes: “The Anger is enormous. One affected person told us that they would like to rip out their heating system themselves.”

Many suspect illegal price fixing because all providers have increased prices. In 2022, when this was already the case, the Federal Competition Authority the industry examined. She couldn’t find any wrongdoing at the time.

Now would be the right time of year for shopping

Between April and June is usually the best time to buy pellets cheaply and store them for the coming winter. The usual low price phase after winter can also be observed this year, but on one completely different level than in the past two years. The price for a ton of pellets is currently around 390 euros. In June 2025 it was around 300 euros, in June 2024 it was around 280 euros.

Why the increase occurred

There are several reasons for the increase, such as Doris StikslManaging Director of the Propellets Association explains: “The biggest factor is that prices for Sawdust have increased massively. Within a year there was an increase of 42 percent.” Recently, less roundwood has been produced. The price for it has increased. This has also led to an increase in the price of the wood chips from which pellets are made. In addition, energy costs, for example for drying the chips and for transport, have also increased.

Another factor is the weather. In recent years, customers have filled their warehouses, but the winters have been less severe. “It has become clear this winter more heating degree days than in the past five years,” says Stiksl.

Comparison with other fuels shows advantage

One should not forget that pellets are still “by far the cheapest comfort fuel”. According to a heating cost comparison by the Vienna University of Technology, this applies at least to unrenovated single-family homes and apartment buildings. Heat pumps are preferred for renovated homes and new buildings.

“In comparison, people who heat with pellets still save half or a whole net monthly salary per year when they heat with pellets,” says Stefan OrtnerCEO of the Mühlviertler pellet heating world market leader Eco oven. The current pellet price corresponds to 8.11 cents per kilowatt hour. The costs are “still at a very low level” compared to fossil fuels (heating oil: 14.56 cents/kWh, gas: 17.06 cents/kWh). You don’t have to worry about having a bad time with a pellet heater.

Inventories could stabilize prices

In any case, customers want more stable prices. “If this continues, I’m in favor of introducing a pellet price cap like the one we used for electricity,” writes a KURIER reader. Propellets describes the idea of ​​one Obligation to stockpile. “Every distributor has to keep around 10 percent of their annual sales in stock,” says Stiksl. “If a crisis situation arises, they should be put on the market.” However, “political persuasion” is still necessary to implement this idea.