SIG announced on Wednesday a price increase of 22% on average for 2023. “A limited increase” according to the managing director of the management, he explains why.
“All distributors in Europe are announcing an increase. With us it is relatively limited because we have some very cautious contracts that we signed at a time when the market was low. We were right to be cautious,” notes Christian Brunier, DG of GIS. A caution that continues today, as electricity prices continue to take the elevator. “The future is relatively bleak,” he adds.
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In addition to the droughts and the war in Ukraine, Christian Brunier points to another cause of these global price increases: “Speculation. Some countries outside Europe that are not at war multiply their rates by ten. It influences the markets. We were buying energy at 3 cents a short time ago, four years later we bought it up to 1.60 CHF. This is unacceptable. I believe that the electron has been considered as a commercial product, whereas it is a strategic product.
“Give a boost fast enough”
To compensate for this increase, which represents an additional 15 francs per month for an average household, the SIG calls for reducing consumption. “If you consume 8% less, you cancel out the increase. We waste too much, with all the appliances on standby in the apartments. There are plenty of simple measures to save money without sacrificing comfort.
For its part, the Federal Council has launched a visual campaign to encourage energy saving. “I think that encouraging will not be enough, comments Christian Brunier. If today we decided to block the heating at 20 degrees this winter, it would not jeopardize people’s comfort and it would have real results. If we decide that on November 15, it will be too late. The decisions of the Federal Council are going in the right direction, but we will have to give a boost fairly quickly.