Gas provider switch offers little savings in Vorarlberg

Switching gas providers currently offers households in Vorarlberg little chance of saving money, according to an analysis by comparison portal durchblicker reported by ORF. The regional energy supplier remains cheaper than available alternatives, although comparing tariffs before the heating season could still be worthwhile.

Gas prices in Austria have risen sharply this year. The cheapest offer at the end of August was around 15 percent more expensive than in January, according to durchblicker.

In Vorarlberg, however, no available alternative offer is currently cheaper than the regional supplier’s tariff. The cheapest alternative costs up to 100 euros more than existing tariffs.

For annual consumption of 12,000 kilowatt-hours, customers pay 1,345 euros with the regional supplier in Vorarlberg, compared with 1,918 euros in Lower Austria, a difference of 573 euros.

The analysis compared the standard tariffs of each federal state’s regional energy supplier with the cheapest available alternative. The results showed substantial differences between Austria’s federal states.

“Where people live still has a decisive influence on the size of their monthly gas bill,” energy expert Stefan Spiegelhofer of durchblicker said in a statement. The company said regular tariff comparisons remained important, even though the potential savings varied widely by region.