Almost 12 billion euros in six months. This is the estimate developed by the National Confederation of Crafts and Small and Medium Enterprises on the energy impact of the war between the USA, Israel and Iran on the Italian economy. Between 1 March and 31 August 2026, the increased outlay for fuel, electricity and gas would be approximately 11.6 billion euros compared to the levels before the outbreak of the crisis. The bill affects both families and businesses and mainly reflects the increase in energy prices. The ones that have the greatest impact are petrol and diesel, which represent around half of the overall increase.
War in Iran, how much more does Italy spend on petrol and diesel
According to the CNA, the increased cost incurred for petrol and diesel in the half-year is approximately 5.8 billion euros. July data shows particularly high demand for gasoline. Consumption reached around 900 thousand tonnes, the highest level in the last sixteen years and 3.1% higher than in the same month of 2025. However, the demand for automotive diesel was decreasing, decreasing by 8.4%.
Despite the decline in diesel consumption, the increase in prices kept the overall bill high. In July the average price of petrol stood at 1.908 euros per litre, while that of diesel reached 2.027 euros per litre.
Electricity bill more expensive by almost 4 billion
Another significant part of the increase concerns electricity. The CNA estimates an increased outlay of between 3.7 and 3.8 billion euros in the period considered. The price shock was not accompanied by a reduction in demand. In July, Italian electricity demand reached 32.5 TWh, marking the historic high for the month and an increase of 8.3% compared to July 2025. Even in the second part of August, prices on the electricity market remained high, maintaining high pressure on the costs incurred by families and productive activities.
Gas expenses, up to 2.2 billion in additional spending
To complete the picture there is the gas consumed directly by families and businesses. For this item, the association’s estimate is between 2 and 2.2 billion euros of increased spending in the semester. Adding fuel, electricity and gas we arrive at approximately 11.6 billion euros, a figure that illustrates the impact of the geopolitical crisis on Italian energy costs.
More than 2.3 billion euros of public resources have been mobilized to contain the effects of price increases. Interventions include excise duty reductions, tax credits and other support measures designed to reduce the impact of increases. According to the CNA, however, small businesses remain particularly exposed because they have fewer tools to protect themselves from fluctuations in energy markets compared to larger companies. A lower contractual capacity in purchasing and greater difficulties in transferring cost increases to final prices also have an impact.
The association defines the increase in costs as a sort of “extraordinary energy tax” on the Italian economy and believes it is necessary to prevent the consequences of the international crisis from further impacting the competitiveness, investments and growth of businesses, particularly small ones.
