Heating oil and pellet prices squeeze Carinthian households
Tuesday 22nd September 2026 on 19:30 in
Austria
Heating costs are putting increasing pressure on households as the heating season begins, ORF reported. Heating oil and pellet prices have risen because of the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz, bombing of a pipeline in Saudi Arabia and the war in Ukraine, with no improvement in sight.
Heating oil now costs about €1.93 per litre, compared with €1.06 a year ago, an increase of around 80 percent. Thomas Sternath, a heating-fuel supplier, said demand remained high, partly because consumers had made precautionary purchases after reports that prices could reach between €2 and €3 per litre.
Pellets are also more expensive
Many people in Carinthia are replacing oil heating systems with what they consider more sustainable alternatives. The federal government covers up to 30 percent of the costs, but its funding pot has already been exhausted this year. The province provides about €3,000 in support. More than 3,600 households used the subsidy last year.
Many households are switching to pellet heating. More than 60,000 households in Carinthia use pellets, making it the region’s most common form of heating. However, pellet prices are now about 34 percent higher per tonne than they were last September.
Sternath attributed the increase to higher raw material and energy costs, as well as more expensive transport caused by high diesel prices.
Consumer advisers urge price comparisons
Before ordering heating oil or pellets, people in Carinthia are increasingly seeking advice from the Chamber of Labour. Energy expert Jürgen Kopeinig recommends comparing prices and requesting quotes from several suppliers.
Kopeinig said pellet prices had not risen solely because of international developments. The Chamber of Labour had observed price trends for several years and found that prices rose sharply whenever crises occurred. In his view, higher raw material costs explained only part of the increase.
The Chamber of Labour expects prices to remain at their current level or rise further if supplies become tighter. Kopeinig declined to forecast heating-oil prices, saying recent months had shown that developments often differed from expectations.