ENERGY prices for Slovak households and companies will drop as of January. While the electricity for households will shrink by 7 percent in average, the gas will decrease by 0.23 percent in average, the TASR newswire reported on November 28.
The specific savings for households will hinge on the particular tariffs of each customer and their consumption, but the savings are set to range from €11-55 per year. Those using electricity for heating will save an average of €200 per year, said Jozef Holjenčík, head of the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (ÚRSO), as reported by TASR.
The savings for small enterprises will reach 6.5 percent on average. Large industrial customers, who are hooked up on high and very high voltage networks alike, will also see their payments reduced, although ÚRSO does not regulate prices for these entities. Their savings will usually range between 10-15 percent, depending on their particular arrangement and region, TASR wrote.
Meanwhile, gas prices for households will shrink by an average of 0.23 percent as of January. Small enterprises will see a more noticeable drop: by 6.53 percent on average.
Though the gas prices proposed by ÚRSO are close to pricing proposal of the Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) gas utility, they do not correspond to economic reality at all. The company proposed a zero increase in gas prices, but the regulator decided on cutting the prices by an average of 0.23 percent, SPP spokesman Peter Bednár told TASR.
“That is why we cannot agree with the methods applied by the regulator,” Bednár said, as quoted by TASR. “Since the new prices do not diverge considerably from our proposal as approved by shareholders, the company will respect them and won't take any measures.”
Regarding the heating prices, the variable, usage-based part will drop by 3 percent on average while the fixed part will rise by 2-3 percent.
“At any rate, we can already determine that customers will not pay more in 2014 than in 2013 – quite possibly they will pay less,” Holjenčík said, as quoted by TASR.
On the other hand, water and sewer rates as a whole will go up by 1.2 percent in 2014.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
