Household electricity prices rose by 6.6% in the EU between the second half of 2011 and the second half of 2012, after an increase of 6.3% between the second half of 2010 and 2011, a Eurostat study issued today shows.

Prices were stable in Malta during that period, and slightly below the EU average.

The highest increases in household electricity prices were registered in Cyprus (+21%), Greece (+15%), Italy (+11%), Ireland and Portugal (both +10%), Bulgaria, Spain and Poland (all +9%).

Decreases were observed in Sweden (-5%), Hungary (-2%) and Finland (-1%), while prices remained stable in Denmark and Malta.

Expressed in euro, average household electricity prices in the second half of 2012 were lowest in Bulgaria (9.6 euro per 100 kWh), Romania(10.8) and Estonia (11.2), and highest in Denmark(29.7), Cyprus (29.1), Germany (26.8) and Italy (23.0).

The average electricity price in the EU27 was 19.7 euro per 100 kWh. When expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS) the lowest household electricity prices were found in Finland (12.7 PPS per 100kWh), France (13.0), Luxembourg (14.0) and Sweden (15.5), and the highest in Cyprus (32.9), Germany and Poland (both 25.9), Portugal (25.7) and Hungary (25.5).

The price in Malta was €17 per 100kWh.

GAS PRICES

During the same period, the highest increases in household gas prices in national currency were observed in Latvia (+21%), Estonia (+19%) and Bulgaria (+18%), and the only decrease in Slovenia (-8%).

Prices in Belgium,Denmark and Slovakia remained stable or nearly stable.

Expressed in euro, average household gas prices in the second half of 2012 were lowest in Romania (2.7 euro per 100 kWh), Slovakia (5.1) and Estonia (5.2), and highest in Sweden (12.7), Denmark (10.8) and Greece (10.2).

The average gas price in the EU27was 7.2 euro per 100 kWh.

When adjusted for purchasing power, the lowest household gas prices were recorded in Luxembourg (4.9 PPS per 100 kWh), the United Kingdom (5.3), Romania (5.5), France (6.1) and Ireland(6.2), and the highest in Bulgaria (12.3), Greece (11.3), Portugal (10.6), Hungary (10.4), Spain and Lithuania (both 10.0).

Prices for Malta were not given by Eurostat.

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