“It’s cold outside, and there’s an energy bill on the table? In February 2026, the average family is paying at least half as much again for electricity as a year ago, an extra 100-150 PLN per month. Unless someone heats their home with electricity, it’s not even worth talking about. Bills for gas and district heating are also higher. There’s no pellet available, and if there is, it’s outrageously expensive,” wrote former Orlen CEO and current PiS MEP Daniel Obajtek on X. “And what is Tusk doing? Phasing out the shields, raising charges and distribution tariffs by +7.6%, three increases in a single year, the result? Bills are exploding,” he added.
“Why is this happening? Let’s break it down:
1) The war in Ukraine.
EU naivety turned a crisis into a catastrophe. Remember the 2022 invasion? It disrupted gas and coal supplies, and wholesale electricity prices in the EU surged by 400%. Poland, with our coal resources, could have remained stable. But the Green Deal increased costs by 20-30%. This is no coincidence; it is EU ideology placed above security.
2) Nord Stream and Russian gas.
German greed is dragging Europe down. Before 2022, Germany imported 55% of its gas from Russia, via the Nord Stream pipelines that bypassed Poland and Ukraine. Supposedly secure and cheap Russian gas was meant to build Germany’s economic dominance in Europe, and when it turned out to be neither cheap nor secure, because it simply ran out, it ultimately triggered a massive energy crisis across Europe and the world.
3) ETS. A Brussels tax on the Polish economy and families.
The ETS system is a silent killer. CO₂ allowances cost €70 per tonne in February 2026 (around €75 on average in 2025). They increase electricity prices from our power plants by one-third. Considering the energy mix including renewables, ETS accounts for 15% of the cost of Polish electricity, we lose €20 billion annually. ETS2 in 2028? Gas prices will rise by 30%, coal by 50%, and car fuel by 0.50 PLN per litre. Through high energy prices, ETS is also destroying the economy and industry, not only in Poland. Germany’s GDP in 2025 may still be 0.2% positive, but industrial production is already at -2%, by 2030, Germany will lose 2 million jobs!
4) The myth of cheap renewable energy.
Hidden costs that we pay. Brussels promises that “renewables are dirt cheap.” And indeed, the direct production cost is relatively low, but the associated investments and charges, whether renewable or capacity fees, are not. The capacity fee alone is up 50% this year. PSE spends around 10 billion PLN annually to stabilize renewables, and 50–70 billion PLN by 2040 on forced grid expansion. You pay for this in your bills. Network charges account for 20–30% of the bill. The solution is not further uncontrolled expansion of renewables, but a rational mix. Coal + gas + nuclear = stability. Time for common sense, not ideology.
Heating pumps – astronomical bills and a bureaucratic nightmare with the National Fund for Environmental Protection.
Brussels is pushing heat pumps as a “green revolution.” But the real frosts of winter 2026 reveal the truth and drive bills up, in January, heating pump users consumed 2-3 times more electricity, paying 2,000-2,500 PLN per month for heating. In a modern, well-insulated 150 m² house, heating costs around 70-100 PLN per day; in an older, poorly insulated building, it can reach 240-300 PLN per day, shocking bills for those who believed in green slogans. Moreover, subsidies from the National Fund for Environmental Protection (NFOŚ) under the Clean Air program are another disaster. Payment delays last for months; beneficiaries wait for instalments, and installers go bankrupt. Bureaucracy, discretionary subsidy cuts, unclear interpretation of the rules, and program goals not even half achieved. Municipalities protest, and the NFOŚiGW changes the rules mid-game. This is not support, it is a trap for families who believed in green promises.
5) PiS protected, Tusk does not – shields vs. abandoned promises.
In 2022, PiS introduced energy shields and froze prices, saving 10 million households from crisis. Today, President Nawrocki continues this direction. The presidential bill of 7 November 2025 reduces electricity prices by 33%, abolishes renewable and capacity fees, and cuts distribution tariffs by 20%. This is another real shield for industry and families.
And what is Tusk doing? Phasing out the shields, raising charges and distribution tariffs by +7.6% – three increases in a year – the result? Bills are exploding,” explains Daniel Obajtek.
Dlaczego Twoje rachunki za prąd, ogrzewanie i gaz w Polsce rosną jak na drożdżach❓
— Daniel Obajtek (@DanielObajtek) February 16, 2026
Zimno za oknem, a na stole rachunek za energię? W lutym 2026 roku średnia rodzina płaci za prąd minimum połowę więcej niż rok temu – to dodatkowe 100-150 zł miesięcznie. O ile ktoś nie grzeje się… pic.twitter.com/PRGEg1Jxvp