Gas and electricity bills: what to expect from January 1?

Energy bills represent an important expense item for households in the winter period. But they weigh even more on the budget, while the cost of electricity and gas has skyrocketed for several months. Not to mention that the Government is preparing to change the rules of its tariff shield, created to mitigate the impact of this increase in the purchasing power of the French.

In fact, the tariff shield will be renewed in 2023, but at a less protective level than the current one. The increase in regulated rates for natural gas and electricity will thus be limited to 15%, compared to the current 4%. For gas, this change will take place on January 1, while for electricity it will come into force a month later, in February.

15% increase on average in gas

Therefore, the average amount of the invoice will increase automatically. In the case of gas, this increase should reach 15% on average as of January 1. It will affect 40% of households, that is, those who have subscribed contracts at a regulated rate or indexed to it.

For these customers, rates have not changed since November 1, 2021 thanks to the rate shield without which the bill would have increased by 122%. The State paid the difference and compensated the gas suppliers.

In detail, homes that are heated with gas should expect an average increase of 25 euros per month, the site specifies. service-public.fr. “The increase would be around 200 euros per month without a tariff shield,” it is also specified.

For those who use gas for cooking (base rate) or hot water (B0), the increase could be less. A government decree expected on December 31 will provide more information on this point.

20 euros per month of average light

As for the heating of homes with electricity, they will experience an average increase of about 20 euros per month, starting in February. Without the tariff shield, the executive estimates that this increase would mean 180 euros more on the bill.

Note that the rate shield works less well in co-ownership. The aid has a cap and the trustee of the building or the social landlord must claim the aid a posteriori.

Finally, customers or condos that had signed up for a fixed price offer, often for one or more years, will not be affected by price shield cap changes. On the other hand, they could see the cost of their contract explode when it expires. Some have already doubled, tripled, or more by 2022.