Il increase in bills is one of the hot topics of this early 2022. With good reason given that we are talking about an increase of 1000 euros per year for each family. The Italian government intervened with a series of measures and funds that partially cushioned the blow. Net of what has been done so far anyway the increase is almost 30% for electricity and 14,4% for gas, against the 45% and 30% that had terrified us at the end of 2021.
But why did the prices go up all of a sudden? And what can we do to make the impact of the increases less traumatic?
The reasons for the high bill
The Italian electricity and gas suppliers did not gather around a table and then decided to sign up, increasing the prices of electricity and gas.
In reality, the reasons for the higher bills are very different.
We start first of all fromincrease in the price of natural gas, which grew by 500%. We went from € 21 to € 120 per megawatt hour.
To this you must add the increase in prices for CO2 emission permits within the European Union: we went from € 33 to € 79 per ton.
However, costs are only part of the problem.
Basically, in fact, we are in a moment of extreme imbalance, where demand is stronger than supply.
Technically there would be someone who could come to meet us: the Russia.
The country led by Vladimir Putin would be able to supply Europe with much more gas but has chosen not to do so despite the obvious economic advantages. The reasons are mainly two: the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and the willingness to enter into long-term contracts.
We explain better.
A gas pipeline was recently built, costing a fortune, which is called Nord Stream 2 and which allows the direct exchange of gas between Russia and Europe, with the plant arriving directly in Germany. The benefit for the former Soviet Union is twofold: more earnings and no passage to third countries, such as Ukraine.
The current geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe, with the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, however, seems to have pushed the EU to block the necessary licenses. The United States then fits into this scenario and could benefit from the situation as it is interested in becoming an export of gas.
But that's not all. As we said above, Putin would like to snatch long-term contracts from Europe instead of relying on spot trading. This for guarantee a constant source of income also in the future, especially considering that the decision by which Europe is moving towards renewable energies at the expense of fossil fuels.
Until now, however, we have only talked about gas. So why has my electricity bill increased too? Because our country uses methane to power thermoelectric plants, power plants that currently supply the vast majority of the electricity we need.
What can we do to save?
Of course it is impossible for us to act directly on the primary causes of the increase. What we can do though is intervene on our environment and our behavior. That is why we have decided to create a small guide that can help you to reduce consumption and, consequently, to save.
Where to start from? Of course from technology. Surely the technological gadgets you have at home contribute to increasing your total expense, but there are actually many other products that can help you, such as smart sockets, LED bulbs, smart thermostats and sensors of all kinds.
You can then think of more demanding interventions, such as the installation of a photovoltaic system, which can be with or without a storage system.
Finally, do not forget to choose the right rate for electricity and gas, perhaps opting for those blocked for a certain period of time, and to change your habits. Because the LED bulbs that consume less, the smart thermostat that turns off the heating for you and the photovoltaic that produces part of the energy consumed are all valid solutions but so are turning off the lights when leaving a room, keeping a temperature of 20 ° C indoors during the winter and taking showers that don't last a lifetime.
