At the start of next year – 2026 – Poles will receive… higher electricity bills. The increase in household energy prices will raise three key charges: the cogeneration fee, the capacity fee, and the RES fee. The new rates, which have already been made public, indicate that electricity costs will rise by several dozen percent. “They promised an end to high prices, and now they are the symbol of it,” commented Jacek Sasin, former minister of state assets, on X.
As a reminder, at the end of September, President Karol Nawrocki signed the law on the heating allowance and the freezing of electricity prices for households until the end of the year. The law extends until the end of 2025 the right – previously valid until September 30 – for households to use the frozen net electricity price of 500 PLN per MWh.
Previously, the price freeze was supposed to apply only until the end of September, which would have meant that starting in October, energy prices would be billed according to operator tariffs – resulting in higher bills.
Unfortunately, lower electricity prices will apply only until the end of the year. Miłosz Motyka, the minister of energy, stated directly on TVN24 that the government will not extend the price-freezing mechanism any further.
Why? In his view, freezing prices means subsidizing them from the state budget, which in the last quarter alone cost 700 million PLN. This means that from the new year, Poles’ electricity bills will rise.
“Freezing, meaning subsidizing electricity prices, means fewer funds, among other things, for healthcare. Energy companies are contracted for the next year; we see no room for price hikes,” he said at the end of October.
At the same time, this month, President Karol Nawrocki signed a draft bill that would reduce energy prices by 33 percent, which will be submitted to the Sejm. It fulfills one of the promises he made during his presidential campaign. What will lawmakers do with it? A good question.
Prices are going up
Still, beyond politics, Interia Biznes reminds today that following earlier announcements of increases to the capacity fee and the RES fee, the coalition government on December 13 published a draft regulation raising another levy – the cogeneration fee. In other words: higher electricity bills next year. And significantly so.
The portal notes that under the draft regulation from the Minister of Energy, starting next year, the cogeneration fee will amount to 4.36 PLN per MWh net. Currently, the rate is 3 PLN/MWh. Simple calculation – nearly a 50-percent increase.
This fee is used to finance support for the production of energy in high-efficiency cogeneration – the simultaneous generation of electricity and heat from a single fuel source, which reduces energy consumption and limits greenhouse gas emissions. In the regulatory impact assessment, the government notes that this system improves air quality and promotes more efficient fuel use.
Unfortunately, this is not the only increase. According to information provided by the president of the Energy Regulatory Office, capacity fee rates for 2026 will also rise:
- 4.29 PLN/month – consumption below 500 kWh (currently: 2.86 PLN)
- 10.31 PLN/month – 500–1200 kWh (currently: 6.86 PLN)
- 17.18 PLN/month – 1200–2800 kWh (currently: 11.44 PLN)
- 24.05 PLN/month – above 2800 kWh (currently: 16.01 PLN)
For example, a household using around 3 MWh per year will see its annual capacity fee increase to about 288 PLN. The lowest-consuming households (below 500 kWh) will pay 51.48 PLN annually.
The capacity fee covers the costs of the capacity market, a mechanism ensuring that reserve power plants remain ready to operate during periods of increased energy demand.
And another fee that will rise – the RES fee (supporting renewable energy producers). From the new year, its rate will increase from 3.50 PLN/MWh to as much as 7.30 PLN/MWh. Conclusion? It will double.
Again, for a household using 3 MWh annually, this means an annual cost of 21.9 PLN. Monthly, that is about 1.83 PLN.
Sasin: They promised an end to high prices, and now they are the symbol of it
Jacek Sasin, former minister of state assets, commented on the rise in fees on social media.
“The Tusk government is preparing another price shock for Poles. Cogeneration fee +50%, capacity fee up, RES more than doubled – electricity bills in 2026 may rise by as much as half. This is what this government’s ‘care’ for families and economic competitiveness looks like,” he wrote on x.com.
As he emphasized: “They promised an end to high prices, and now they are the symbol of it.”