Sala-Heby Energi Defies Government, Keeps Controversial Power Fee Despite Customer Complaints

Sala-Heby Energi, the electricity network operator in Sala, Sweden, is maintaining its controversial power fee despite government pressure to remove it. The company, which reportedly introduced the fee in 2004, is the only electricity network owner in Västmanland still keeping the charge after the government decided to abolish such fees.

Energy Minister Ebba Bush (KD) has been clear in her demands, stating in an interview with SVT: "If the electricity network companies thought I was unclear last week, I want to be overly clear. Remove the tariffs." However, Sala-Heby Energi's network manager Andreas Ringvall responded that removing the fee would require them to "redo our entire model."

The power fee, which charges customers based on their highest simultaneous electricity usage during peak hours, has drawn criticism from local residents. Angie Tegehall, 37, who lives on an older farm in Sala with her family, reported paying nearly 900 kronor in power fees in February despite having low overall electricity consumption. "It's enough that you happen to have high consumption two days, then the power fee becomes huge that month. It feels unfair," Tegehall said.

Sala-Heby Energi defends the fee as a way to ensure efficient network utilization, which they claim customers can also benefit from. The company has chosen to have a low fixed fee and a high power fee of 135 kronor per kilowatt. According to the company, this allows customers to influence their network costs to a high degree.

While other electricity companies in the region like Mälarenergi are removing power fees, and Vattenfall and VB Energi are pausing their implementation, Sala-Heby Energi plans to keep its fees for now. The government has decided that power fees should be abolished in their current form and replaced with a fairer, simpler fee structure, with proposals expected in April 2027.