Slovenian households benefited from significantly lower electricity prices last year compared to the EU average, thanks largely to government intervention, according to an analysis by ELES, the national transmission system operator. In contrast, other consumer groups—particularly businesses—faced some of the highest electricity prices in the EU, despite having some of the lowest network fees.
ELES reported that household electricity prices placed Slovenia in the lower third among EU member states. While prices were higher than those in Hungary and Croatia, they remained lower than in Austria and Italy. Bulgaria, Malta, Luxembourg, Hungary, and Croatia recorded the lowest household electricity prices overall.
Government policy played a key role in shielding households from price hikes. Measures included a price cap covering 90% of household consumption and a freeze on fees supporting renewable energy and high-efficiency cogeneration. From January to October, capped household electricity rates were 8.2 eurocents/kWh during off-peak hours and 11.8 eurocents/kWh during peak hours. Without these measures, the annual electricity bill for a household using 4,000 kWh would have been €345 higher—an increase of nearly 46%.
In contrast, commercial and industrial consumers did not receive similar subsidies and faced some of the highest electricity prices in the EU. Despite this, Slovenian business electricity costs were still lower than those in neighboring countries. ELES also refuted claims from the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce that high network fees were harming competitiveness. The report highlighted that Slovenia’s network fees for businesses were 36.5–49% below the EU average and up to 53% lower than those in neighboring countries. Household network fees were similarly among the lowest in the EU.
