Overview
- E-Control's preliminary 2026 gas network charges rise about 18.2% on average, with the steepest increases in Carinthia (+35%), Lower Austria (+30%), Styria (+27.7%) and Burgenland (+25%).
- For a typical household using 15,000 kWh of gas, the Carinthia hike adds roughly €142 a year, compared with about €130 in Lower Austria, €120 in Burgenland, €103.73 in Styria and €28.73 in Upper Austria.
- Electricity network fees show only a modest average change, falling in Salzburg by around 9% and slightly in Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Vienna and Styria, but rising in Burgenland (+16.1%), Tyrol (+11.2%) and Lower Austria (+6.9%).
- The regulator cites shrinking gas consumption and the loss of transit revenues after the withdrawal from Russian supplies as key drivers of the increases.
- E-Control plans structural steps, including pressing the 19 gas network operators to reduce excess capacity and launching a 20% Sommer‑Sonnentarif discount to incentivize grid-friendly electricity use, with final tariff regulations due in December to take effect on 1 January 2026.