Hourly billing

In future, washing should be done when electricity is cheap

How expensive will electricity be in the future? Grid expansion has priority(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

New price models are coming: Tariff will soon change hourly. Salzburg AG is planning the changeover in "the next few years". The energy company wants "well-considered concepts" for the expansion of PV systems.

Quickly switching on the washing machine and firing up the electric stove when electricity is cheap: this is set to become a reality in Salzburg in the next few years.

Around 280 experts from all over Austria are currently discussing and looking to the future at the Energy Technology Conference in Salzburg. "The same electricity tariff around the clock will no longer be feasible," says Herwig Struber, CEO of Salzburg AG.

There will be a dynamic tariff model with hourly changing prices. At the best of times, electricity will then flow at virtually zero cost. "Energy must be affordable and available," says Struber. The time horizon for this: "In the next few years."

However, investments must first be made in grid expansion. In the last 15 years, 30,000 kilometers of additional lines have been laid in Austria. Well-considered concepts are needed for the expansion of PV systems. They should not become a business model for private individuals.