The worth of electrical energy at present is far decrease than it was after 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted the provides to dwindle and Switzerland, like different nations in Europe, needed to urgently discover different sources of vitality.
In Switzerland, electrical energy and fuel costs elevated by 20 p.c on common in 2023 and 18 p.c in 2024.
The start of this 12 months, nonetheless, heralded significantly better information: electrical energy tariffs have dropped by a median of 10 p.c, the Federal Electrical energy Fee (ElcCm) stated.
Which means that for a ‘typical’ family, which yearly consumes 4,500 kWh, electrical energy invoice shall be 141 francs decrease in comparison with 2024.
The rationale for this constructive evolution, in accordance with ElCom, is that “costs on the wholesale electrical energy market have stabilised considerably, leading to a fall in vitality tariffs.”
And there’s much more excellent news forward
Presently, prospects are charged two totally different charges for electrical energy.
One, the upper one, relies on vitality use throughout peak hours and weekdays, whereas the decrease one is utilized to vitality use throughout off-peak hours — as an illustration, late at evening or at weekends.
However that too is altering.
In February, the Federal Council permitted a brand new technique for calculating electrical energy costs, which is able to end in financial savings for Swiss households and companies.
The Weighted Common Value of Capital (WACC) is a monetary indicator used to find out the quantity that electrical energy grid operators can cost for the usage of their infrastructure.
It’s a complicated idea, however suffice it to say that the federal government will now undertake this calculation technique, which is able to slash the worth of electrical energy by 0.55 p.c in 2026.
On account of this measure, the totality of electrical payments paid by shoppers in Switzerland is anticipated to fall by 124 million francs.
Commercial
Consumer-friendly adjustments
Additionally in February, the Federal Council adopted the second set of ordinances for the implementation of the Federal Act on a Safe Electrical energy Provide Primarily based on Renewable Vitality.
The primary half got here into pressure on January 1st, 2025 and the second shall be applied from January 1st, 2026.
It defines the way in which to realize safe electrical energy provide based mostly on renewable vitality, in addition to distribution, setting of tariffs, and different associated subjects.
The brand new guidelines, nonetheless, will even carry extra transparency and different consumer-friendly adjustments.
They embrace:
Invoicing for grid utilization
Customers ought to be given incentives to adapt their electrical energy consumption in accordance with the grid load, and subsequently relieve the electrical energy grid — as an illustration, not working a washer or charging an electrical car throughout peak consumption occasions.
“The precept of causality is thus consolidated and the necessity for grid enlargement might be lowered within the medium and long run.,” the Federal Council defined.
“For this reason dynamic grid utilization tariffs (which range in accordance with the time of day) or differentiated in accordance with location at the moment are permitted. Grid overloads are reported in actual time, which permits shoppers to adapt their consumption.”
Commercial
Metering techniques
Community operators stay liable for the metering techniques of their service space.
They’re now additionally required to set metering tariffs that adjust to the causality precept.
The client’s invoice will subsequently present the cost for metering and community use individually.
As well as, shoppers should be knowledgeable in regards to the improvement of their electrical energy consumption in comparison with the earlier 12 months, their common consumption and, for comparability functions, additionally the consumption vary of different shoppers of their space.
You may see all the opposite adjustments the federal government is planning to implement right here.
