Prepare for hunger: utility prices could triple

Ukrainians should prepare for a significant increase in utility tariffs in the coming years. The head of the Union of Consumers of Public Utilities, Oleg Popenko, stated that the Ministry of Economy anticipates in its forecast for 2026-2028 an annual increase in electricity costs for the population of 15%, with possible fluctuations of up to 5%. Experts, particularly from the NBU and the IMF, emphasize the need to align tariffs with market prices, both for electricity and gas.

Today, the cost of a kilowatt-hour for household consumers is UAH 4.32. According to calculations, if the price increases annually by 20%, it may reach UAH 7 or higher in a few years. For comparison, the market cost of electricity currently fluctuates between UAH 9 and UAH 11 per kWh.

Similar trends are observed in the gas supply sector. Although the population currently pays 7.96 UAH per cubic meter, the real market price varies between 17 and 22 UAH, and in some cases, even reaches 25 UAH. In the case of a complete transition to market prices, the increase in cost can reach 500-600%. For example, in Moldova, gas for household consumers already costs about 32 UAH per cubic meter.

Popenko noted that the main problem is not only the cost of energy resources, but also the solvency of the population. Currently, approximately 50-60% of Ukrainian families are unable to pay their utility bills fully. If the average payment for an apartment with an area of 50 sq. m is currently about 2.5 thousand UAH, then after the tariff increase, this amount may increase to 7.5-8 thousand UAH.