Electricity bills are about to increase. Arera has communicated the new tariffs and for 3 million “vulnerable” users, i.e. served under a greater protection regime, the bill in the second quarter of 2026 will see an increase of 8.1%. With this increase, the annual expenditure will be 589.34 euros (from July 2025 to June 2026), an increase of 4.5%. According to Codacons the price increase will be higher, around 605 euros.
Faced with this new crisis front, the Government has asked the Chamber for confidence in the Bills decree (better known as the Energy decree, of the end of February). The text provides a bonus of 115 euros for those who have an ISEE of up to 9,796 euros, or 20 thousand euros in the case of a large family (4 or more children). There is also more inside, but in general the decree is not liked by consumer associations because it is considered “insufficient”.
Electricity bill: +8.1% for the “vulnerable”
In the second quarter of 2026, the electricity bill for vulnerable customers served under Greater Protection will increase by 8.1%. Behind the increase is uncertainty about the duration of the conflict in the Middle East which, as stated in the note:
caused an unexpected increase in the prices of energy products on international markets with a direct impact on electricity bills.
With this increase, the annual expenditure for the typical vulnerable user under the Greater Protection regime (with consumption of 2,000 kWh/year and committed power of 3kW) will stand at 589.34 euros in the period between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026. The increase is 4.5% compared to the 563.76 euros recorded in the previous period (1 July 2024-30 June 2025).
Who are the vulnerable customers?
In the note, Arera also recalls that all vulnerable customers who are on the free market have the right to switch to greater protection.
But who are the “vulnerable”? On the Arera website we find the characteristics to be included in this category.
Vulnerable customers:
- are over 75 years of age;
- are in economically disadvantaged conditions (for example, bonus recipients);
- are subjects with disabilities pursuant to article 3 of law 104/92;
- the user serves an emergency home following calamitous events;
- the user is located on a smaller, non-interconnected island.
The new bill from April 1st
Continuing in the note, we read that from 1 April 2026 the reference price of electricity for the typical customer will be 30.24 euro cents per kilowatt hour, taxes included.
The expenditure will be divided as follows for energy:
- 15.81 euro cents (52.3% of the total bill) for energy supply costs, up 15% compared to the first quarter of 2026;
- 2.24 euro cents (7.4% of the total bill) for retail sales, unchanged compared to the first quarter of 2026.
The cost of transport and management of the meter is added to the total:
- 6.18 euro cents (20.4% of the total bill) for distribution, metering, transport, transmission and distribution equalization and quality services; unchanged compared to the first quarter of 2026.
Then the cost of system charges:
- 3.03 euro cents (10% of the total bill) for system charges; unchanged compared to the first quarter of 2026.
And finally the taxes:
- 2.98 euro cents (9.9% of the total bill) for taxes including VAT and excise duties, an increase of 7.4% compared to the first quarter of 2026.
Bill decree: the Government’s proposals
With the Bills decree, the Government aims to support businesses and families. To deal with high energy prices, the 115 euro bonus for 2026 has arrived. This is an extraordinary social bonus for the lowest incomes. The requirements to receive it are:
- ISEE up to 9,796 euros;
- in the case of a large family (4 or more children) the ISEE threshold rises to 20 thousand euros.
For families with ISEE of up to 25 thousand euros, energy companies will be able to make a voluntary contribution of up to 60 euros per year for 2026 and 2027. This is a “discount” valid for those who do not already benefit from the social bonus. It applies to domestic users who did not consume more than 500 kilowatt hours between January and February.
There are other measures, such as the ban on “aggressive” telemarketing and the extension of the phase-out of coal-fired power plants.
A decree considered by consumer associations as “insufficient” and Codacons denounces:
It is clear that the bills decree passed by the government is not capable of intervening on the current situation or of mitigating the negative impact of the war in the Middle East.
