In a parliamentary question, MP (LSAP) asked energy minister (déi Gréng) to compare the gas and electricity bills of Luxembourg households with those of neighbouring countries.

The verdict: if you take into account the various forms of state aid put in place by different governments in Europe, the annual cost of these energies is the lowest in Luxembourg.

For an annual electricity consumption of 3,500 kWh, the bill averages €788 in Luxembourg, compared with €843 in France. It is the highest in Belgium, at €1,623.

The same applies to natural gas. For an annual consumption of 17,000 kWh (or 1,545 m3) and an installed capacity of 25 kW, the lowest annual cost is in Luxembourg, where it averages €1,680. In Germany, the bill soars to €2,398. It is in the Netherlands, however, that the bill is highest, at €3,582.

€430 and €1,160 in state aid on average

In his response, Turmes pointed out that in Luxembourg, aid for electricity “is determined by a negative contribution to the compensation mechanism for electricity customers with an annual consumption of less than 25,000 kWh, amounting to -0.1146 €/kWh.” By way of example, he stated that “for a customer with an electricity consumption of 3,500 kWh, this state contribution amounts to around €430 (incl. VAT) per year.”

With regard to natural gas, the state “will cover the costs of using the network and grant a state contribution to the price of natural gas to ensure that integrated natural gas prices for households remain at the September 2022 level.” This “represented an average of €1,160 (incl. VAT) per year.”

Turmes pointed out that, in his view, it is thanks to this state aid--which will be extended until the end of 2024--that “Luxembourg has achieved one of the lowest inflation rates in the European Union.”

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.