Hungary ended the year with the lowest household utility costs in the European Union, according to data from the Hungarian Energy and Utilities Regulatory Office. It was pointed out that natural gas and electricity were the cheapest in December in the EU in the case of average consumption, the M1 News reported.
Since August, when utility costs changed, many people have been checking how much they have to pay for electricity or gas. The official price remains up to average consumption, but above that, families must pay a discounted market price.
According to the latest report of MVM Next, two-thirds of the electricity bills issued from August to the end of November and four-fifths of the gas bills did not contain energy billed at residential market prices. In other words, the vast majority of the population only pays a reduced utility price.
And according to a survey by the Hungarian Energy and Public Utilities Regulatory Office (MEKH), Hungary ended the last year with the lowest household utility costs in the European Union.
" If you look at the price of electricity, you have to pay more than six times the Hungarian price in Brussels, and the same for natural gas, 12 times between Stockholm and Budapest, " emphasized Zsolt Scherer, the spokesperson of the office.

According to the spokesperson, while energy prices in the European Union have soared, families still have to pay the least for gas and electricity in our country.

"Compared to the utility bill changes in August, Hungarian families continue to pay the least for gas and electricity in the European Union. In our December survey, we saw a double-digit increase in the price of gas and electricity in a number of Western European capitals in one month. In comparison, domestic residential consumers continue to pay the lowest prices," said the MEKH spokesperson.

It is also important to note that in many Western European countries residential consumers are charged with an energy tax, whereas Hungarian families do not have to pay it. And it won't be necessary in the future, just as the energy price support for households will not change either. The Prime Minister spoke about the latter last December.

"Each family in Hungary receives about HUF 180,000 per month through the energy price subsidy, which is about EUR 450 a month. I don't know another country that could provide 450 euros of support to every family, every family in a country, through the energy price every month," said Viktor Orbán.

In addition, the electricity and gas prices above the reduced utility level do not change from January to April. In other words, the burdens of approximately six million consumers entitled to universal service will not increase.

Source: hirado.hu

PHOTO: MTI/TIBOR OLÁH