Central Heating Bills To Increase By 50% On Average In Austria - Reports

Central Heating Bills to Increase by 50% on Average in Austria - Reports

VIENNA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2022) Central heating bills in Austria's capital of Vienna will rise by 50% this year, Austrian media reported on Friday.

The bills for central hitting will increase by 65% for about 100,000 households in the southeastern Austrian state of Styria, Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung reported.

Kelag Energie & Warme, the main energy supplier in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia, told the newspaper that the bills in 2022 will be higher by 20-40% than in 2021.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen told the newspaper that Austria will "survive the winter" but the heating could be reduced.

Van der Bellen added that he assesses the prospects for the country's economy to cope with the energy crisis "with cautious optimism."

In mid-September, mass protests organized by trade unions took place in Vienna and other regions of Austria. The demonstrators demanded decisive steps from the government in the fight against inflation and rising energy prices.

Europe is currently facing a massive energy crisis due to the sanctions imposed on Russia after it launched a military operation in Ukraine.