MILANO – High energy costs dearly to the service sector. According to the data released today by Confcommercio the energy bill of 2022, for companies in the tertiary sector, will double to 24 billion euros compared to 11 billion in 2021 despite some stabilization of prices and a decrease compared to previous forecasts. According to the association “in July 2022, compared to April, the price of electricity offers paid by the tertiary sector drops by 14%, while the price of natural gas offers is slightly up (+ 3%)”. However, these are values much higher than in 2021. “The increases in annual spending reach peaks of + 122% for electricity and 154% for gas”, explains Confcommercio.
Prices, from butter to eggs: here’s the sting on the shopping cart
by Flavio Bini
For restaurants + € 14,000 in spending
For an average restaurant, spending on electricity and gas has risen by 14 thousand euros in one year. In the comparison between July 2021 and July 2022, the “annual bill” of electricity increased considerably for all the main sectors of the tertiary sector: hotel sector (+55,000 euros), restaurants (+8,000), bars (+4,000), grocery stores food (+18,000) and non-food shops (+4,000).
Equally significant, the association underlines, are the increases in annual gas spending – again in the comparison between July 2021 and July 2022 – both for the hotel sector (+15,000) and for restaurants (+6,000). Even bars, food shops (and not) have been hit by the “expensive gas”, whose annual increase is equal to a value that is between + 120% and + 130%.
The cost of fuels also continues to rise: from the start of the pandemic to June 2022, the prices at the petrol and diesel pumps have risen by 30% and 35% respectively. Increases that would have been even more substantial without the government’s lower excise duty.
Between February 2020 and June 2022, the annual expenditure on fuel for a truck with a capacity equal to or greater than 7.5 tons increased by 43% (for a total of about 55,600 euros / year), while a truck with a capacity of less than 7 , 5 tons has instead increased its fuel costs by 35% (for a total of about 25,000 euros / year). Commercial vehicles also saw fuel costs rise by more than 1/3: vehicles of less than 3.5 tons to 8,200 euros / year and those with a capacity equal to or greater than 3.5 tons to 8,900 euros / year.