ARCHIVED - Electricity bills reach 3-year high in Spain as new tariffs come into force

The average household bill in May was 44 per cent higher than in the same month last year

New electricity bill tariffs come into force throughout Spain on 1^st June, affecting the way in which our household consumption is charged, and as the change takes place it has been calculated the price per unit of energy during May 2021 was a massive 43.8 per cent higher than in the same month last year.

The aim of the new billing system is to encourage users to make more economical and therefore sustainable use of their electricity supply, and the increase in monthly bills in May is likely to add a further incentive for those who take charge of the payment in each household! The price of electricity has been rising steadily in recent months, starting with the soaring costs incurred in the aftermath of Storm Filomena and the long cold snap in January, and by last month it was calculated that the average household bill amounted to 75.92 euros.

This represented a minimal increase of 60 cents over the month before, with 44.81 euros of the total being accounted for by energy used and the remainder by standing charges and tax, but a rise of a full 23 euros over the equivalent figure for May 2020, when figures were artificially low due to the effects of the initial Covid-19 lockdown.

At the same time, the latest average bill is the highest since September 2018, and as June begins the market price per megawatt-hour has reached 88 euros, its highest level since Storm Filomena, due mainly to increases in the price of gas and CO2 emission costs.

So far this year the average accumulated household bill stands at 341.80 euros in five months, 22 per cent higher than at the same point in 2020, but the national government has plans to ease the burden on homeowners by reducing the impact of taxes on CO2 emissions in the next few days.