Heating oil prices rise 75% in a year, Upper Austrian chamber says

Heating oil has become 75.4% more expensive in a year, prompting the Upper Austrian Chamber of Labour to call for price caps and a €700 heating subsidy per household, ORF reported.

The chamber said heating oil prices had risen 48.3% since the end of June. Pellet prices were up 8.2% over the same period and 34% year on year.

Chamber president Andreas Stangl said a warm home should not be a luxury and warned that the price rises were putting many people under financial pressure ahead of the heating season.

The chamber wants the federal government to introduce a heating oil price cap modeled on the fuel price cap, which it said combines limits on profit margins with a reduction in mineral oil tax. It also called for a cap on pellet prices, saying the increases were difficult to understand despite sufficient raw materials.

The chamber said Upper Austria paid households a heating subsidy of €200 for the 2025-26 heating season, which it considers inadequate given high housing and energy costs. It wants the subsidy raised to €700 and made available to all households with incomes below the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.