In the case of district heating, a centrally-controlled supply of hot water to heat larger apartment blocks, the change has not been so noticeable, however, AK reported.

Utilitas, the largest producer of district heating, says that its prices have remained at the same level in January as in December, however, though milder temperatures mean that bills will lower simply due to lower usage.

Utilitas announced that: "The weather in January was warmer than usual in January as well as in December of the previous year, due to which customers needed less heat to keep their homes warm."

"Utilitas customers consumed 10 percent less heat in January than in December," the statement continued, as reported by AK.

State-owned market leader Eesti Energia reports also that its bills for January are on average a third lower than those for December.

Agnes Roos, Eesti Energia board member, said that: "Whereas the average bill for a customer in December stood at €87, from January it will be €62."

Government support measures had helped with this, she added, while a 30 percent drop in the stock exchange price of electricity month-on-month had also had an impact.

"Here, the government's measures that have reduced this bill have had a big impact. If we also compare the bill from January 2021 a year ago, percent more expensive, but still significantly lower than the December figure," Roos said.

Monthly comparison figures for 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 are below.

Bills for natural gas, which had also reached record levels late on in 2021, have also fallen, mainly thanks to the state support measures, though this also depends on whether a customer is on a fixed- or variable-rate contract.

Raul Kotov, Member of the Management Board of Eesti Gaas said that: "From January, the gas bills for all household customers will then have a price cap of €65 per MWh, and the state will help pay the bill.

"This means, by comparison household bills will certainly be lower and easier for customers. This are more complicated for companies and those who do not have fixed gas prices, but who buy gas at the stock exchange price," he added.

Utilitas in Tallinn says that some price increases are still expected in February due to high natural gas prices - €113 per MWh on the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) compared with €82 per MWh in December - and high CO2 quota prices, while Adven, the second-placed district heating producer said that its prices rose 5 percent in January, adding that this rise should be mitigated by the state support measures, along with the milder conditions meaning lower heating levels are needed.

The Reform/Center coalition reached agreement on its electricity and natural gas support measures last month, and struck a deal on district heating support measures – involving compensation of 65 percent of price increases since October 2021 – earlier on this month.

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