Prices of goods and services will increase starting September 2023

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How quickly time flies: Friday marks the start of the ninth month in 2023, bringing a lot with it. Here are eight minor and significant changes with implications for everyday life.

The music streaming service Spotify is raising its prices. Instead of 9.99 euros per month, 10.99 euros per month will be due for the Individual Premium subscription in the future. According to the email, those who do not agree to the new price will be downgraded to the free subscription with advertising.

Existing customers still have until September 30 to confirm or reject the price increase. New customers must pay the increased price with immediate effect.

Since Friday, a production ban has been in place for fluorescent lamps in tube form, but they are still available in types T5 and T8. Only old stocks may still be sold. Starting September 1, the same applies to high-voltage halogen lamps with an R7 base. They are still used, for example, in outdated ceiling floodlights. The bans are laid down in the European Union’s Ecodesign Directive to increase energy efficiency.

In many cases, replacing fluorescent tubes with LED lights is no problem. These save up to 70 percent of energy and generally have a long life. Retrofit bulbs fit into conventional sockets, but check for compatibility.

Want some refreshments? Because the costs of electricity, gas, logistics, and raw materials such as plastic, aluminium, and sugar have risen, the beverage supplier is raising its prices in September. The price increase for Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, or Mezzo Mix will probably stay in the single-digit percentage range.

In September, schoolchildren have to say goodbye to the summer vacations. In Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, school starts again on September 3. In the rest of Austria, students start the new school year again on September 11.

Around 2.2 million meals are prepared daily in canteens, for example, in hospitals, nursing homes, or schools – almost two-thirds of the food served outside the home, according to the Chamber of Agriculture calculations. As of September, the origin of the staple foods milk, meat and eggs must be shown and indicated in the dishes.

Subsequently, such origin labelling is also planned for processed foods in supermarkets.