Electricity prices in Austria: Households leave so much money!

Electricity prices in Austria: Households leave so much money!

Österreich - The Austrian energy market faces considerable challenges. Current reports from the Federal Competition Authority (BWB) and E-Control show that the competition in this sector is weak. With only 37 electricity providers and 14 gas providers, the number has dropped by around a third in the past three years. This development has led too little price pressure and leaves many consumers with high energy costs, as 5min reported.

The situation is tightened by the survey of institutes such as marketing agent. One result shows that 44 percent of the respondents are satisfied with their current tariff, while 23 percent never considered a change of provider. Only 1.7 percent of households changed their provider in the first quarter of 2025 - over 130,000 changes were registered. Nevertheless, 13 percent perceive the exchange process as complicated and 21 percent fear hidden costs. Maximilian Schirmer from tariff.at notes that the low competition drives energy prices up and that comparisons are urgently needed to change this condition.

competition and provider structure

An analysis of the German energy market shows that there are over 1,100 electricity providers and 1,000 gas providers. This structure enables consumers to find more attractive tariffs, but this is not the same in the Austrian market. The electricity and gas providers in Austria occupy a monopoly-like market position, creating a number of problems. For example, it was found that pricing policy is often non-transparent and that large differences in tariffs of the same provider cannot be adequately explained, as Economic Nachrichten

e-control and the BWB set up a task force in January 2023 to analyze the market situation in Austria. An interim report of the task force already shows that many providers have withdrawn from the market or only supply locally. The supply situation was particularly challenging for consumers in the crisis year 2022, New Kunien offers are often only available at high prices. These developments illustrate the lack of competition in a sector that is of considerable importance for the domestic economy and households.

conclusion and outlook

The Austrian energy market urgently needs reforms to promote competition and reduce prices for consumers. The current market situation indicates a critical situation, which is characterized by declining number of providers and a lack of interest from consumers in changes of provider. In order to increase the pressure on the providers, extensive market analyzes and possible political measures are necessary that boost competition. The study “Energy Market Aktuell”, which is published by Verivox and Kreutzer Consulting, also offers valuable insights into the current developments and trends that are important for energy providers and consumers.