Category: Austrian News

Prices for household energy decreased slightly in February. The Energy Price Index (EPI) fell by 1.4 percent compared to the previous month of January, as reported by the Energy Agency. Prices nevertheless increased by 30.5 percent. In January, prices had risen by around 13 percent compared to the previous month of December. Prices for household energy have now been on an upward trend for more than a year. In February 2022, prices were already 27.4 percent higher. Compared to February 2021, this year’s prices have risen by 42 percent. “Must…

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On Sunday, GeoSphere Austria experts forecast a short-term return of winter. On Tuesday, early temperatures of minus six degrees are possible. On Monday, clouds will accumulate on the northern side of the Alps. It will initially rain or snow here, partly persistently and heavily, but also away from the congested areas; a few showers will pass through in the north and east. In the afternoon, the clouds will temporarily clear up, and the sun will appear, but a few snow showers will continue to pass through. The snow line will…

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U4 users beware: New tracks will be laid in Längenfeldgasse and Meidling Hauptstraße from 00:30 on April 1 until the end of operations on April 10, Wiener Linien announced in a release on Friday. For one or the other, probably not uninteresting: An evasion on the substitute bus U4E is possible in this area for passengers. At Franz-Josefs-Kai, there is a rejuvenation cure for the tunnel ceiling after 40 years. “In the summer of 2023, the last, but also longest section, will be made fit for the future, both for…

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The repair bonus has already been claimed 525,000 times since its introduction just under a year ago, in April 2022. There are currently 3,469 businesses participating in the support program. Due to the high demand, 50 million euros more funds will be made available this year, the Ministry of Climate and Energy announced. By repairing appliances, e-waste is to be avoided – so far, this is an estimated 2,600 tons, according to the ministry. How does the repair bonus work?Each repair voucher covers 50 percent of the repair costs and…

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The online comparison portal durchblicker.at recommends cell phone contract customers consider changing their provider soon; for many existing contracts, rates will increase by 8.5 to 11.5 percent as of April 1. For new customers, on the other hand, no increases are expected in most cases. The higher rates are due to inflation adjustments, which usually occur for mobile providers at the beginning of April. These were confirmed at Drei, A1 and Magenta, as the magazine “Konsument” of the Association for Consumer Information (VKI) recently wrote on its website. With a…

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After years of discussion, the time has finally come: the GIS-Aus is coming, and instead, there will now be a household levy. The coalition is in agreement. The end of the GIS fee was already considered decided, but negotiations between the ÖVP and the Greens on the concrete design of the new budget levy were still going on until the very end. Instead of the GIS, the household tax will now be fixed. It must be paid by all four million households, regardless of whether they consume ORF or not.…

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Although the government had fixed a bonus for pensioners, those with small pensions were paid too little. This is now changing. On March 1, the federal government launched a new cash bonus – this time for the 1.8 million pensioners in the country. They were to receive a direct payment of up to 500 euros as emergency aid against the enormous price increases. The cost is part of the 2023 pension increase, which raised incomes on a socially graduated basis. For recipients of a compensatory allowance (minimum pension), this should…

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The temperature plunged by almost 20 degrees. Now it’s going to get uncomfortable once again! Meteorologists are predicting a significant drop in temperatures over the next few days. While almost summery 21 degrees were still measured in Linz on Thursday, it’s going steeply downhill in the next few days. On Friday, it starts; in the morning, some clouds move across the country, but it remains dry. Temperatures will once again become spring-like. At noon, it can be a very mild 14 to 20 degrees. The temperature will drop hourly in…

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On April 1, the rents of 376,000 households will rise by a hefty 8.6 percent. Nevertheless, a rent break is not coming. For weeks, the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Greens had been negotiating about the rent break. Yesterday, the “compromise” was presented: The housing subsidy will be increased by 250 million euros, 25 million of which will go into the “housing umbrella” against delogations. The money does not flow automatically but must be applied for. According to ÖVP club leader Wöginger, the one-time payment will be about 200…

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