Most Latvian households have chosen fixed-price electricity contracts: such contracts have been signed by 658,000 (or 74%) households, and this share has remained almost unchanged over the past couple of years, according to data from the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), writes Diena.
Exchange contracts or variable price contracts have been chosen by 144,000 (16%) households, while the universal service continues to decline and now accounts for just under 10% — this type of contract has been signed by 86,000 households. In the corporate segment, the distribution is different: about 40% have signed exchange contracts, while 60% have fixed-price contracts.
Customers of "Latvenergo" (the "Elektrum" brand) predominantly choose fixed-price products — about 90%, while only 10% prefer the exchange price. Overall, every fourth customer of "Latvenergo" lives in a private house, whereas among customers with exchange contracts, every third has a private house. Although it would be logical to assume that exchange products are more often chosen by private house owners with higher consumption, the sales director of "Latvenergo", Ivita Reidzane, emphasizes that this is not a universal pattern: large consumers also frequently choose fixed products, although among customers who have chosen exchange contracts, the average consumption is indeed about 30% higher.
At "Tet", the picture is somewhat different: just over two-thirds of customers have chosen a dynamic tariff, meaning payment at the exchange price, and this proportion has remained stable for years. According to "Tet" observations, households with high consumption — mainly private houses with heat pumps or electric vehicle charging — choose the dynamic tariff plan, while apartment owners usually prefer fixed tariffs.
