The heating bill in Switzerland is expected to increase by $104 per month
The increase would primarily affect buildings heated with oil and gas or inadequately insulated, sources say.
Some landlords in Switzerland are already suggesting their tenants pay an extra 100 Swiss francs ($104) in anticipation of another hike in energy prices, Swiss broadcaster RTS reported on Sunday.
The tenants were offered to pay an additional 50 francs for a two-room apartment and 80 to 200 francs for a five-room apartment in order to “avoid unpleasant surprises,” it said RTS. Buildings that are heated with oil and gas or are insufficiently insulated would be particularly affected by the increase, the broadcaster reported, citing local real estate agents.
Electricity prices for Swiss households are expected to increase by 30% in 2023.
Switzerland is one of the riskiest European countries that will suffer from power shortages in the coming winter.
The Swiss Federal Council decided on Wednesday that power plant operators can negotiate contracts for the use of backup power plants in the event of a power shortage this winter. The Swiss authorities have warned that they could cut energy consumption for the first time next winter if there are electricity or gas shortages.
Earlier this month, the head of the Federal Electricity Commission, ElCom, Werner Luginbühl, urged citizens to stock up on candles and firewood because of possible power outages in the country next winter.
Swiss police chief Fredy Fassler warned on Saturday that there could be riots in Switzerland if there are energy shortages next winter.
Read more: Swiss police: There may be unrest this winter due to energy shortages
Since 2021, energy prices in Europe have been rising rapidly, following a global trend. After Russia launched a military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine and imposed several packages of sanctions on Moscow, the energy situation deteriorated significantly, prompting EU countries to look for alternatives to Russian energy supplies.
So far, efforts to deal with this crisis have been pathetic. In Germany, for example, recommendations were made weeks ago to reduce gas consumption or stop it altogether in order to stock up for the coming winter.
According to Lukas Ievenkotten, chairman of the German Tenants’ Association, it was reported last week that millions of low-income German households will find it difficult to pay their energy bills this winter amid soaring gas prices.
German Economics and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck on Monday bemoaned the country’s entire business model, dismissing it as dependent on cheap energy imports from Russia that will never return.
While in France, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted the MBS to discuss the importance of diversifying the energy supply of EU countries. But far-right French leader Marine Le Pen called on the EU to end sanctions on Russia.
Yesterday an NHS boss warned soaring energy costs will kill more than 10,000 people in Britain this winter; a situation the NHS association is calling a “humanitarian crisis”.
The EU has promised to impose tough restrictions on Russia, and some national members recently launched a campaign to ban Russians from entering the Schengen zone.
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