Gas bills will rise by 9.1% in October for the approximately 2.3 million customers covered by the Vulnerability Protection Service. The announcement comes from Arera, the Italian regulatory authority for energy, networks and the environment, which attributes the increase to rising wholesale prices.
For a household with average annual consumption of 1,100 cubic metres, the reference price will climb to 176.80 euro cents per cubic metre, while the cost of the raw material alone will reach 88.36 euros per megawatt-hour.
In detail, the gas supply component accounts for 54.9% of the bill, followed by taxes (23.57%), transport and metering costs (15.41%), retail sales (3.3%) and system charges (2.82%).
According to estimates by Codacons, if October’s rates were to remain unchanged, the increase would translate into an additional 163 euros in annual spending compared to September’s prices. The average annual gas bill would thus rise to 1,945 euros, which, combined with 868.60 euros for electricity, would bring total energy expenditure to 2,813.60 euros.
The National Consumers’ Union (Unione Nazionale Consumatori) describes the development as a new historic record for gas prices including taxes, surpassing even the levels recorded in December 2022.
Assoutenti has also voiced concern, pointing to the sixth consecutive monthly increase in rates for vulnerable users. The association’s president, Gabriele Melluso, warned about the coming months, when colder weather will drive up household gas consumption.
