European Energy Prices Increase up to 500% Compared to Pre-crisis Levels

Written by

Ciaran Wark

Last updated

28 March 2024

Based on data from a select 22 European countries, sourced from Eurostat and the Household Energy Price Index, GreenMatch has conducted an analysis that found the following.

Key findings about energy prices in Europe:

• From the first half of 2021 to October 2022, household electricity prices had risen 114% on average.
• In the same period, average household gas prices had risen 214%. 
• Estonia experienced the steepest increase in energy prices overall, with household prices for electricity and natural gas rising 323% and 559%, respectively.
• Slovakia experienced the smallest increase in energy prices overall, with household prices for electricity and natural gas rising only 14% and 28%, respectively.

The UK’s lowest-income households are disproportionately affected by the cost of living crisis

Using data from the International Monetary Fund, we compared the rise in the cost of living, based on projected figures taken in January 2021 and May 2022, across these select countries and the UK. 

Here’s what it revealed about the UK compared to the rest of Europe:

• The rise in the cost of living was 62% higher in the UK than the European average.
• The difference in cost of living increases between high and low-income households in the UK was 93% higher than the European average. 

To view our dataset in full, click here. 

Which Countries Have Experienced the Steepest Rise in Energy Costs?

The graph below shows how much household energy prices have risen since before the energy crisis, alongside the increased cost of living in these select countries.

Together, we can see how much the rise in energy prices has impacted the cost of living. 

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Examining the Top 5 Countries

In the list below, alongside monthly data provided by the Household Energy Price Index (HEPI), we’ve examined the energy crisis in the 5 countries with the highest energy price increases compared to pre-crisis levels. In most cases, these countries have recently experienced record-high energy prices as the European winter sets in. 

Key to these crisis levels are wholesale price increases, which force suppliers to pass on extra costs to consumers, i.e. households. These consistently increasing wholesale prices come from multiple compounding factors since the second half of 2021. Unreliable weather conditions, post-COVID economic recovery, mounting energy insecurity and limited storage supplies in various regions across Europe brought the crisis. 

Since Russia began its war in Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has withdrawn from the European energy market. This accelerated the pre-existing crisis since Russia supplied 45% of gas imports to the EU in 2021, nearly 40% of its total gas consumption, or 155 billion cubic metres.

Without the security of Russian gas, many countries in Europe must rapidly diversify their supply and upscale production from other sources. 

1. Estonia 

Extremely high energy prices in Estonia result from an over-reliance on volatile wholesale markets. This is due to scarce gas storage across the Baltics, continuous nuclear power plant maintenance, and limited capacity for domestic electricity generation. 

In September 2022, Estonia hit new record high prices for electricity, which rose to €0.59 per kilowatt-hour (KWh), and for natural gas, which rose to €0.38/KWh. From early 2021 to September 2022, electricity and natural gas prices rose 353% and a staggering 773%, respectively. 

Between September and October 2022, electricity and gas prices decreased by 22% and 25%, respectively. This light relief can be attributed to the Estonian government’s compensation scheme, which subsidises 80% of price increases above €80/MWh for electricity and gas, which are available to all households. That said, from the first half of 2021 to October 2022, electricity and gas prices rose 323% and 559%, respectively. 

In October 2022, Estonia’s household gas prices, at €0.29/KWh, were 43% higher than the European average (taken across these 22 sample countries). Household electricity prices, at €0.47/KWh, were 17% higher than this European average. 

2. Netherlands 

The Netherlands have experienced especially high energy price climbs since it relied on Russian imports for nearly 50% of its gross available energy. This over-reliance resulted from slowing domestic gas production attempting to transition from fossil fuels in response to fracking-related earthquakes. 

In October 2022, the Netherlands household prices for electricity were the third highest in Europe at €0.67/KWh, 52% higher than the European average. Household gas prices were the highest in Europe, at €0.42/KWh. This is 78% higher compared to the European average price for gas. 

These prices represent new records for electricity and gas in the Netherlands, first reached in September 2022 with no recorded price change into October. Compared to the first half of 2021, this represented a 421% increase in the price of electricity and a 338% increase in the price of gas. 

The Dutch government introduced a price cap in January 2023, freezing the price of electricity at €0.40/KWh and freezing gas prices at €1.45 per cubic metre. Until then, prices were expected to continue rising, although the government had begun to compensate households with €190 per month until the price cap came into effect. 

3. Italy 

Electricity prices in Italy rose 30% between September and October 2022 to the second highest prices for household electricity in Europe, the highest when adjusted to purchasing power standards (PPS), at €0.70 KW/h. Meanwhile, the gas price rose to €0.30/kWh, 97% of the total, to the fourth highest position in Europe (third highest when adjusted to PPS). 

These prices represent new record highs for the country in both cases. Compared to the European average, the electricity and gas prices sit at 39% and 84% higher, respectively. 

These records come despite various measures by the government to reduce or cut energy-related taxes. However, there have been no measures to cap energy prices in retail or wholesale markets, meaning household prices will rise around 60% in the coming months. 

The HEPI also reported that gas distribution charges in Italy increased in October 2022. Moreover, Russia suspended its gas supply to Italy in October due to operator conflicts with Austria, where the pipeline passes. These latest developments resulted in a 211% increase in the household price of electricity and a 329% increase in the price of gas since the first half of 2021. 

4. Austria

In October 2022, energy prices for electricity and gas rose 24% to new record highs in Austria, to €0.54/KWh and €0.34/KWh, respectively. The HEPI attributes part of these rises to energy-related tax increases. 

This represents a 145% rise in the cost of electricity compared to pre-crisis levels and a 433% rise in the cost of gas. This results in the third-highest gas prices in Europe (sixth highest when adjusted to PPS). 

Compared to the European average recorded in this study, Austria’s electricity and gas prices sit higher by 39% and 84%, respectively. These increases are reportedly the result of limited market offers and increased supplier rates as they adjust to volatile wholesale prices. 

In response, the Austrian government implemented an electricity price cap at €0.10/KWh for households with an annual consumption of up to 2,900KWh. Anything above this capped price fell under a €0.40/KWh cap.

5. Denmark 

Electricity prices in Denmark rose to the highest in Europe (fourth highest when adjusted to PPS) to €0.76/KWh. This 15% increase into October 2022 is a new record high for the country. Gas rose only 1% to €0.41/KWh, reaching new records. Therefore, Danish gas prices were the second highest in Europe (fourth highest when adjusted to PPS). 

As well as increases in the volatile wholesale energy market, distribution charges also increased, which helped account for these prices. As such, Danish electricity and gas prices were respectively 64% and 75% higher than the European average. 

As such, compared to the first half of 2021, electricity and gas prices had increased 161% and 353% respectively. To combat these rising costs, the Danish government enforced a price cap on surplus heat to €12.50/GJ from January 2023. 

UK vs Europe

Using data from the International Monetary Fund, the following table compares key cost of living data between the UK and the European average (25 countries).

Difference in cost of living between the UK and Europe

Households with the lowest incomes in the UK are disproportionately affected by the cost of living increases, compared to those with high incomes in the UK and the European average, based on projected figures taken in January 2021 and May 2022. 

Part of this is that the UK housing stock is among some of the most poorly insulated across Europe. Research has found that the average UK home will lose heat 5 times faster than buildings in Germany, and the most poorly insulated homes will pay £1,000 more to heat in 2022. 

How does the Energy Price Guarantee impact energy prices in the UK?

Despite receiving only 4% of its gas imports from Russia in 2021, the UK’s energy prices are greatly affected by international markets, which provide around 50% of its gas supply. Gas provides heating to nearly 80% of homes in the UK, accounting for 40% of electricity production. 

The Energy Price Guarantee was enforced in October 2022 to combat rising wholesale costs. The EPG reduces the cost of electricity and gas per KWh so that the typical UK household pays around £2,500 a year, on average. The scheme ran until April 2022. 

Excluding energy-related taxes and standing charges, the price of electricity and gas in the UK rose 21% and 31%, respectively, under the EPG. Before the EPG, the price of electricity and gas had risen 62% and 79%, compared to the first half of 2021. 

According to the House of Commons Library, despite the reduced costs under the EPG, households will still be paying 96% more on their electricity bill and 141% more on their gas bill compared to the price cap set in the winter of 2021/2022, including energy-related taxes and standing charges.

Dataset 

We’ve gathered the following data from select countries across Europe to demonstrate the impacts of the energy crisis and subsequent cost-of-living crisis: 

• Pre-crisis (first half of 2021) cost of natural gas and electricity (€/KWh).
• Natural gas and electricity cost, October 2022 (€/KWh).
• Percentage increase in the cost of natural gas and electricity (first half of 2021 – October 2022).
• Percentage rise in cost of living due to energy prices, based on total household spending (projected future prices in January 2021, compared to those in May 2022).

The information provided in this dataset was sourced from Eurostat, Household Energy Price Index, and the International Monetary Fund.