By: Nova24tv.si
After the Freedom Movement reassured people in October that there was no need to worry about the new network fee calculation system, by mid-November they themselves realised that this would not be the case. The Prime Minister began expressing outrage and, taking on the role of saviour, announced that the government had adopted “several measures to mitigate high electricity bills during the winter season”. But lo and behold, in practice, it seems this is not the case at all!
One of the outraged viewers of Nova24TV contacted our editorial office after receiving a December “surprise” in the form of a significantly higher bill for self-supply electricity. If the electricity bill for October amounted to €21.28, the November bill is, believe it or not, €87.28.
If we focus on the October electricity bill and how much was required for network usage, we can see a total of €15.46. In November, this amount visibly increased to €69.56! It is no wonder that the final amount of the most recent bill was significantly higher compared to the previous one – by a staggering €66.
It is hard to understand how the electricity bill could have skyrocketed so much, especially since government officials were reassuring the public just recently that there was no need for concern!? It seems the government’s promises were completely empty. In November, the Prime Minister clearly stated that anyone who believes the government would allow electricity bills to increase by 30% is mistaken.
“The coalition is united in working for the benefit of the people. It has adopted decisions to extend the regulation of electricity prices for the next four months to prevent the increase in network charges from affecting the final cost for people,” Golob said, according to N1. As he announced, the increase in network charges was supposed to be offset by lower energy prices.
At the time, it was explained that the government does not have the authority to interfere with the new billing system adopted by the Energy Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, and since the agency insists on it, they have intervened in the prices for electricity. “The network charge will increase exactly as the agency predicted. However, the government will ensure that the regulation of other elements of the bill keeps it at the same level,” Golob explained. Since the amount is visibly higher, people’s anger at seeing such bills is more than justified – many might even describe it as daylight robbery!
One might wonder if such amounts even concern the Prime Minister himself. Especially since, in the past month, when people were worried about when they could even do their laundry, he responded: “For all of you who worry about doing laundry at night because you do not want to disturb your neighbours, it is roughly the same price if you do it over the weekend. You will save just as much. So do not worry, let your neighbours sleep, and do it over the weekend during the day, and everyone will be happy.” Such a response, of course, angered many people, especially families. For households with multiple children, especially young ones, this advice is utterly impractical, not to mention a significant step backward – instead of moving towards greater convenience, life is becoming more burdensome.
We have decided to address journalistic questions to the government, asking how such price increases are possible, given that they promised citizens this would not happen. We will also inquire whether they intend to take steps to ensure that bills are genuinely reduced. Once we receive a response, we will publish it subsequently.
