The Riksdag’s finance committee decided to say no to the Social Democrats’ proposal to establish an emergency electricity bill at a specially called meeting. The industry organization Energiföretagen was also at the meeting to give their views. It contributed to the committee ending up with a no.
– The electricity companies say that they will not be able to help more customers with this proposal, but on the contrary, it may happen that fewer customers will be helped in the end. They don’t have the opportunity to get functioning IT systems in place and personnel who could handle this at such short notice, says Riedl.
“Incredibly disappointed”
The proposal from S is to give customers respite while waiting for the announced electricity subsidies to be paid out. Companies and households could postpone or partially pay their electricity bills by the state issuing credit guarantees for the electricity companies. But it won’t be like that.
– I am incredibly disappointed, says Mikael Damberg (S), vice chairman of the committee.
– The government must listen to the companies and households that are under great pressure from high electricity bills and actually stand on the customer’s side. It is not unreasonable for the state to take part of the responsibility for the risk when the government does not deliver on its election promises, says Damberg.
He refers to the fact that the governing parties promised in the election campaign that an electricity price support would be in place in November.
Support is delayed
Försäkringskassan expects that the promised electricity price subsidies to households in electricity price areas 3 and 4 can begin to be paid out at the end of February. The new support that the government recently announced – for households throughout the country – will be paid out sometime in the spring.
One of the reasons why the energy companies do not believe in an electricity bill emergency is that it would take time to get the system in place.
– Better spend time and energy on getting the electricity price subsidies to the customers as soon as possible, says Åsa Pettersson, CEO of Energiföretagen.
Customers who have problems paying their bills are instead encouraged to turn to their electricity companies to, for example, split the payments.