ENA study: Energy prices in Czechia are now slightly below the European average

Despite sharp increases during the energy crisis, final electricity and gas prices in Czechia are still slightly below the average in most European countries. This is according to a study by consultancy ENA, which CTK has seen. Electricity prices are around three percent lower than the average in the selected countries, while gas prices are approximately ten percent lower. Compared with the past, however, Czechia has fallen behind, as the price gap with Western European countries in particular has gradually narrowed. During the energy crisis two years ago, according to Eurostat data at the time, domestic energy prices were among the highest in Europe.

For the study, ENA compared publicly available price lists from 749 suppliers in 12 European countries in the second quarter of this year. In addition to the Czech Republic, these were Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium, with Denmark also included for gas. In total, nearly 14,000 products were included in the analysis. According to ENA, the comparison covers all the items customers pay for, including the electricity component, supplier margin, regulated charges, taxes and other payments, such as contributions to renewable energy sources. „For both electricity and gas, final prices for households, small businesses and large consumers have long been below the average in the countries compared,“ said ENA analyst Jiří Gavor.

According to the study, the average price of electricity across all consumer groups in the European countries surveyed was slightly above 250 euros (over 6300 Kč) per megawatt-hour (MWh), including all charges and taxes. The price paid by Czech consumers, or their weighted average, is around three percentage points below this level, the analysis found. In neighbouring Germany, for example, the weighted average electricity price is approaching 290 euros (over 7300 Kč) per MWh. By contrast, the average price is lower in Slovakia and Poland, by more than a tenth in Poland. Spaniards pay the least for electricity, while Italians pay the most.

According to Gavor, the comparison is affected by a number of external factors. „In some countries, prices were still being subsidised from the state budget in 2024, or various cross-subsidies were in place, whereby, for example, large consumers pay higher electricity prices at the expense of households (including in Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and Italy). In others, special charges for supported energy sources are not paid, or the state is covering them this year (for example, in Germany), while the Czech Republic has had a fully market-based environment since 2024,“ Gavor noted.

According to the analysis, domestic gas prices are somewhat further below the average in the countries surveyed. The average price of gas for a household in the Czech Republic, including tax, is currently around 85 euros (2150 Kč) per MWh, according to the analysis. The average across all the countries surveyed is slightly below 100 euros (2526 Kč) per MWh. Households in neighbouring Germany and Poland pay more than ten percent more for gas than those in Czechia, while gas is up to a third cheaper in Slovakia. Italy again has the highest prices among the countries surveyed.

„The main factor bringing down the final price for Czech customers is the tax burden, which is lower than in the other countries surveyed. In half of the countries analysed, taxes account for more than 21 percent of the total gas price. The market price of the commodity in Czechia is at the average,“ Gavor said.

However, the share of household expenditure spent on energy varies across European countries. While the average gross wage in Czechia was 43.341 Kč last year, in Germany it was more than twice as high.

Over the past two years, Czech prices have moved significantly closer to the average than in the past, when the differences were greater. Energy prices rose most sharply in 2022, following the collapse of several suppliers, led by Bohemia Energy, and especially after the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. This year, an increase in the regulated component of energy prices has also had an effect.