January bill freeze as government steps in on heating costs

“The state will cover the additional heating consumption costs incurred by families in January,” prime minister Viktor Orbán announced on social media after the government meeting on Wednesday.

In a video message, Orbán said the extreme weather conditions in January had posed a major challenge for the country, which had nevertheless successfully passed last week’s “snow test”. Firewood supplies and warming facilities for homeless people and others in need will remain available in the coming weeks. At the same time, the freezing temperatures have led to high heating bills, placing a heavy burden on families, the prime minister said.

Orbán described the winter as extremely cold “like we have not experienced for decades”, adding that such conditions highlight the importance of low energy bills. “It is a major achievement that even in today’s crazy world we still have access to affordable Russian oil and gas, which are essential for the functioning of the country. But given this extreme cold, we cannot sit back. We now have to reduce energy costs further,” he said.

Earlier, economy minister Márton Nagy backed the government’s proposals with concrete figures during a background briefing at the ministry. According to calculations, household gas consumption in January rose by 43% year on year, which is not merely a statistical curiosity but raises serious supply and financing concerns.

The government is considering whether the additional costs could be covered from excess profits in the energy sector. Nagy stressed that “the government will also examine who the major winners of the January cold wave are”.

Experts warn that higher January consumption could easily lead to doubled household bills in February if discounted consumption thresholds have been exceeded. In the case of gas, consumption just 10% above the basic allowance can already result in a bill more than one and a half times higher, as the so-called market-based price is set at 7.5 times the reduced rate.

Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original German text.