Illwerke VKW terminates LIFEBONUS: This is how households benefit from July!

Illwerke VKW terminates LIFEBONUS: This is how households benefit from July!

In July 2025 there will be a reason for many households and small businesses in Vorarlberg. The Illwerke VKW announces that it will be paid out a unique loyalty bonus. The prerequisite for this bonus payment is that customers have had an upright electricity contract relationship with the provider since the beginning of 2023. On average, households can expect a bonus payment of around 45 euros, which is realistic with an annual consumption of 3,500 kilowatt hours. The payment takes place automatically as part of the annual statement, so that customers do not have to worry about an application. "VOL.AT reports that this step is a response to the market developments according to the last energy crisis," emphasizes the provider.

The Initiative for the payment of the loyalty bonus takes place in coordination with the Chamber of Labor, the Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Agriculture in Vorarlberg. The billing is automated and does not require a separate application. Although this financial bonus represents a relief for many, the concern for increasing energy costs remains present. In the coming years, many households will have to adjust to higher electricity invoices.

energy costs continue to increase

From 2024, the amount for gas and electricity is expected to increase by a few hundred euros per year. The main reason lies in the increased network costs and the restoration of taxes at full level. Due to the expires of the electricity price brake on December 31, 2024, electricity prices increase on average by 23.1 percent and gas prices by 16.6 percent. The federal states are particularly affected, with the highest increases in electricity network fees, for example in Lower Austria and Vienna with over 30 percent. The average increase in electricity price components are made up of the cost of procurement and sales, which make up 40.4 percent of the total price, as well as the network charges and taxes that will also increase. This information comes from a comprehensive analysis of Die Presse and BDEW.

The increasing costs also feed from the higher green electricity and electricity taxes, the loss of various federal and state discounts as well as the set rising network costs, which are determined by the regulatory authority E-Control. Although the loyalty bonus can reduce the financial pressure a little, it is clear that households have to expect higher loads. An important question remains: How will energy costs develop in the next few years and how can customers best prepare for it?