Electricity bills going up in Türkiye by February—Here’s what you need to know
File photo shows a person holding an electricity bill in front of a row of electricity meters. (IHA Photo)
Expats in Türkiye could face higher electricity bills as new regulations set to take effect on Feb. 1 will substantially increase prices for households consuming more than 5,000 kWh annually.
Households exceeding 5,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year (417 kWh per month) will see their bills multiply, as the new supply tariff—coming into effect on Feb. 1, 2025—will exclude them from government subsidies.
Electricity bills going up in Türkiye
In November, the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK) announced a new regulation amending the provisions of the “Regulation of the Last Resort Supply Tariff.”
Under the new decision issued by EPDK on Nov. 7, 2024, residential consumers using 5,000 kWh or more per year (417 kWh per month) and commercial or industrial consumers exceeding 15,000 kWh annually will be billed under the high-consumption tariff starting Feb. 1, 2025.
As a result, households with high electricity consumption will face progressively increasing bills for every unit exceeding the 5,000 kWh threshold.
Average electricity bill in Türkiye to remain unchanged
The regulation, implemented on a calendar-year basis, means electricity consumption will be tracked annually.
Consumers identified as high-consumption users under the Last Resort Supply Tariff will be billed under the new pricing system starting from the third month after being flagged—unless they secure electricity through bilateral agreements.
In October 2024, the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar announced that the government aimed to ensure high-consumption households and those not in financial need to cover the actual costs of electricity and natural gas once their usage exceeds the national average.
For consumers using the national average of 200 kWh per month, the average electricity bill in Türkiye will remain at ₺414 ($11.58) per month in January, he said.
However, he emphasized that those receiving bills of around ₺1,050 per month are consuming more than 414 kWh and will no longer be eligible for subsidies.
According to Bayraktar, the government currently subsidizes 60% of household electricity and natural gas bills, meaning that for an average electricity bill in Türkiye of ₺414, the government covers ₺248.
How to check annual electric consumption?
Annual energy consumption can be monitored through electricity bills from the current and previous years. However, the final determination of whether a consumer exceeds the Last Resort Supply Tariff threshold is made by the relevant distribution companies.
Consumers can inquire through their distribution companies’ communication channels to check whether their contract is affected by the tariff change.
Those identified as exceeding the limit will be billed under the high-consumption tariff accordingly.
