Large differences in household electricity prices across the EU

In the second half of 2024, average household electricity prices in the EU remain largely stable, with a slight decline. Price levels remain well above pre-energy crisis levels in 2022.

For EU households (with consumption between 2,500 kilowatt hours (KWh) and 5,000 KWh), electricity prices in the second half of 2024 will be highest in Germany (0.3943 EUR per KWh), Denmark (0.3763 EUR per KWh), Ireland (0.3699 EUR per KWh) and Belgium (0.3313 EUR per KWh). The lowest prices are observed in Hungary (0.1032 EUR per KWh), Bulgaria (0.1217 EUR per KWh) and Malta (0.1301 EUR per KWh).
The average price for a household consumer in the EU in the second half of 2024 is 0.2872 EUR per KWh.

The share of taxes in the total price increased by almost 10 percentage points (pp) from 31.2% in the first half of 2008 to 41.0% in the second half of 2019. After that, it decreased significantly until the second half of 2022. (15.5%), when taxes are lowest for the entire period for which Eurostat has data. Moderate and stable increases in taxes were recorded in both halves of 2023 and in both halves of 2024, reaching 25.1% in the second half of the year. These figures reflect the impact of government measures to reduce household electricity costs in the EU in 2022 and the gradual phasing out of these measures in 2023 and 2024. This reduction in consumer relief measures is the reason for the contrasting trends observed in the two halves of 2024. During this period, the price excluding taxes decreases, while the price including taxes increases slightly.

Negative taxes, reflecting subsidies and relief measures over the past three years in response to sharp price increases, are observed in the Netherlands, Austria and Ireland. The relative share of taxes is highest in Denmark, where they account for 48.8% of the total price. The average share of total taxes and duties at EU level in the second half of 2024 is 25.1%, representing an increase of 3.7 percentage points compared to the second half of 2023 and an increase of 0.8 percentage points compared to the first half of 2024, mainly due to a decrease in subsidies and quotas. Value added tax in the EU accounts for 14.4% of the total price. It ranges from 4.8% in Malta to 21.3% in Hungary.