KEVR should announce the real accumulated increase in the price of electricity during the new regulatory period. This was insisted on by the chairwoman of the civil platform Stand Up.BG Maya Manolova during the public discussion held today on determining the prices of electricity for household consumers.
According to Manolova, the regulator is hiding from Bulgarian consumers the real increase in the price of electricity from July 1, 2025 compared to July 1, 2024, deliberately failing to take into account the 9% increase in electricity prices, which was made on January 1, 2025.
This is the largest increase in the price of electricity energy for the last more than 10 years.
Manolova described as “absurd“ the calculations of the KEWR members during the public discussion, according to which if the increase in electricity from January 1, 2025 by 9%, and the now planned increase of 4.62%, are taken into account, the average increase in electricity becomes 6.5%.
The chairman of Stand Up.BG accused KEWR of deliberately excluding this calculation from the report in order to deceive citizens that the price is increasing by only 4.62%.
According to the participants in the discussion, there will be a problem with the preparation of the invoices that household consumers will receive from July 1, 2025. They must reflect the compensations that the Energy Security Fund will pay to households. It is also unclear how the estimated compensation for consumers of 95 BGN per MWh was determined, as well as the estimated exchange price for end suppliers of 239.50 BGN per MWh.
Maya Manolova defined the changes in the method of forming electricity prices, pursuant to the amendments to the Energy Act published on 30.05.2025, as unsuccessful and detrimental to consumers.
It turns out that the fear of increasing electricity prices even with a postponed full liberalization of the household market is completely justified – prices are increased by 14% for the regulatory period.
The former ombudsman also objected to the incorrect method of determining the surcharge above the base price of electricity in favor of the ERPs – end suppliers (Euroholod, Energopro, EVN), which also makes electricity more expensive for the population and received assurances from the chairman of the KEWR that the calculations will be checked and possibly corrected.
According to the chairman of Stand Up BG, the increase in heating and hot water from July 1 by an average of 4.5% is also unfair and unjustified.
Maya Manolova referred to the reduction in the price of natural gas compared to July 1, 2023 - by 25.41% and carbon emissions for the same period by 20.45%, and according to her, the price of heating and hot water should also be reduced, not increased. This is because natural gas and carbon emissions are the main price-forming elements, between 70-80% of all district heating costs, and since their values are decreasing, the price of heat should also be reduced.
The former ombudsman called on the EWRC to exercise control and not allow market manipulation by economic entities, the subject of media revelations in recent weeks, because the price of fraud is paid by Bulgarian households.