Electricity bills set to fall further in 2027

In 2027 electricity will cost less for a large share of Ticino households. The canton's main power utilities have announced tariff cuts, the third consecutive decrease since the peak reached in 2024.

Azienda Multiservizi Bellinzona had already announced a 5% cut, which will save an average family 54 francs a year. Aziende Industriali di Mendrisio is lowering its rates by between 6.5 and 7.4%, for an estimated saving of 90 francs. On Monday, Società Elettrica Sopracenerina also announced a cut: 4% in its Ticino service area and 5.5% in the four municipalities it serves in Mesolcina and Calanca. For a family consuming 4,500 kilowatt-hours a year, the saving will be 53 and 73 francs respectively.

Despite three consecutive cuts, the bill remains higher than in 2022, before the war in Ukraine. Back then, an average family paid 1,112 francs a year; in 2024, at the peak of energy price rises, it reached 1,571 francs; in 2027 it will fall to 1,295 francs, still almost 200 francs above the pre-war level.

Prices tied to geopolitics

According to Sopracenerina's sales manager, Andrea Pedroni, a return to pre-conflict prices is unlikely: "Tornare a quelle tariffe sarà difficile, perché le tensioni a livello geopolitico sono ormai purtroppo una costante. Questo fa sì che i prezzi dell'energia a livello globale aumentino e crea molta insicurezza per il futuro" ("Returning to those tariffs will be difficult, because geopolitical tensions have unfortunately become a constant. This is pushing energy prices up globally and creating a lot of uncertainty for the future").

Sopracenerina will invest 37 million francs in the grid, partly to offset falling revenues. The decline is explained by growing self-production, driven by the spread of private solar panels, and by the effect of climate change, which is reducing households' heating needs.

The trend shows how decentralised production is already affecting utilities' finances, as they must fund the grid with less predictable revenue. It remains to be seen whether households' savings will be enough, over time, to cover the investment needed to maintain the infrastructure without placing an additional burden on users and taxpayers.