The electricity bill rose 67% in July, being the second most expensive in history, according to Facua

MADRID, 1 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The electricity bill of an average user with the regulated rate --the so-called PVPC-- stood at 142.30 euros in the month of July, which represents an increase of 66.7% compared to the same month last year, thus being the second most expensive in history, only surpassed by the 176.73 euros of last March, according to data from Facua-Consumidores en Acción.

This electricity bill has been given despite the application of the gas cap, which came into force on June 15 and, therefore, has already been in force for the whole month in July, as well as the drop in VAT at 5%.

To date, the five highest bills have been 176.73 in March, 142.30 euros this July, 140.62 in December 2021, 133.85 last June and 133.06 in January of this year.

In July 2021, the price of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity stood at an average of 13.65 cents in off-peak hours, 18.13 in flat hours and 29.14 in peak hours -with 15.62% indirect taxes included-.

This July, the average price was 35.14 cents in off-peak hours, 33.75 in the flat and 38.34 in peak hours --including the 5.525% indirect taxes that are applied to invoices issued since last July 1 --.

According to the organization's calculations, the arithmetic average between the three sections this month was 35.74 cents, 76.1% more than the 20.30 a year ago. The weighted average, taking as reference the consumption of the average user in each section, was 35.71 cents, 85.0% higher than the 19.30 cents of July last year.

The average user used by Facua in its analyzes has a contracted power of 4.4 kilowatts (kW) --the same at peak and off-peak hours-- and a monthly consumption of 366 kWh.

As for the percentages of consumption in the three time slots of the new billing system, the association has taken as a reference the traditional average user profile without time discrimination published by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC), which consumes 45% of electricity in off-peak hours, 29% in peak hours and 26% in flat hours.

For its part, the average daily electricity market price for the month of July was 142.66 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), 54.4% higher than the average price for July last year.

This price was 54.7% lower than that of Germany and 64.4% lower than that of France. Compared to June 2022, the average price for July was 15.9% lower, according to AEGE data.

Likewise, Facua considered that the marginal auction model is "the origin of speculation and the disproportionate prices paid by consumers" and asked the Spanish Government to propose to the European Commission "a radical change in the system, given that it is crazy that consumers have to pay for the cheapest energy at the price of the most expensive".

Likewise, the organization demanded that the Government protect families by declaring them all --except for the highest incomes-- vulnerable consumers, so that they can avail themselves of a special social bond, which would allow them to pay rates with large discounts on what the market dictates.