Austria: Grid costs for electricity and gas to rise significantly in 2025

Grid costs for electricity and gas will rise from 1 January 2025. The regulatory authority E-Control announced the regulations on Monday. The grid fees for households will increase by an average of 23.1 percent for electricity and 16.6 percent for gas. There were minimal changes in the individual grid areas compared to the draft regulations. As levies will again be charged in full, energy bills will rise by several hundred euros in 2025. The biggest changes to the draft regulation are in Tyrol, where electricity grid costs will now rise…

Read More

Austria: Dental fillings are free after all, but not for everyone!

Now that amalgam fillings will be banned at the end of the year, the struggle to find a free alternative is proving tedious. An agreement was reached just before Christmas, but not for all patients in the country. While no solution has yet been found with the Austrian Health Insurance Fund (ÖGK), the Insurance Institution for Public Employees, Railways, and Mining (BVAEB) and the Dental Association have now agreed on amalgam fillings. From 1 January 2025, filling materials, glass ionomer cement, and alkalies will be covered by health insurance instead…

Read More

Interesting fact: each year, three billion trees are used to make shipping boxes

Two-thirds of Austrians store online, and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Cardboard boxes and shipping produce gigatons of CO2. Online retail continues to grow worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic has given the sector even more impetus, leading to breathtaking sales records. Large companies such as Amazon and Alibaba have “monopolized” online shopping and raised consumer expectations by offering instant delivery and free returns, says climate expert Martina Igini from the environmental portal earth.org. Online retail is also in the fast lane in Austria. However, many sales flow abroad, explains Rainer…

Read More

Minus 10 degrees! We are now feeling extremely cold due to the winter

The weather remains exciting, with temperatures well below freezing and a varied mix of sun, clouds, and precipitation. Here is a detailed preview of the days leading up to Christmas. Sunny Saturday morning, cloudy afternoonThe influence of an intermediate high will initially calm the weather, but this will not last long. After local patches of early morning fog clear in the south, the sun will appear everywhere. However, from the afternoon onwards, denser clouds will move in from the west, especially along the northern side of the Alps. Above around…

Read More