Sardinian businesses and families are still stuck in an energy cost bubble that is proving very difficult to deflate. While the additional cost for small and medium-sized businesses between 2023 and 2024 was €77 million, for ordinary citizens, electricity and gas prices are still 42.3% higher than in 2021, despite a 3.6% decrease between 2023 and 2024.

Compared to similarly sized European companies, Sardinian SMEs, such as those producing food, fashion, furniture, wood, glass, metals, and other manufacturing industries, including jewelry and eyewear, experience a spread of 14 million euros, equal to 0.04% of the regional added value.

This is what emerges from an analysis by the Confartigianato Sardegna Research Office based on data from Movimprese and Terna. "Our analysis of the burden of electricity bills for Sardinian businesses demonstrates the urgent need for energy policy interventions on multiple fronts," says Giacomo Meloni, president of Confartigianato Imprese Sardegna, "including diversification of supply sources, strong support for renewables, and concrete actions to improve energy efficiency and upgrade businesses and buildings."

"We've certainly been saying for a while now that high energy prices are hindering the competitiveness of small businesses," Meloni reminds us. "This is why we need to rebalance the tax burden on utility bills, which for years has penalized smaller businesses, forced to pay disproportionately higher rates than large energy consumers."

The analysis also shows that in 2023, electricity consumption in Sardinia amounted to 7,637 GWh, two-thirds (68.3%) of which 5,216 GWh were consumed by industry and services. Industry is the largest energy-intensive sector, accounting for 40.6% of total energy consumption, while services consume 27.7% of total energy. Between 2023 and 2024, energy consumption decreased by 5.9%, more significantly than the national average of -2.9%, with the most significant decline occurring in industry (-10.5%).

As anticipated, retail electricity and gas prices on the island are still 42.3% higher than the 2021 average . In July of this year, Sardinia recorded a 3.6% drop in consumer prices for electricity, gas, and other fuels. However, in the first seven months of 2025, consumer prices for these energy commodities on the island were still 42.3% higher than the 2021 average, a slower increase than the 49.8% national average, but more than double the cumulative inflation rate, which, in the period under review, stood at 18.2% in the region.

Another important aspect concerns household spending on electricity and gas, which in Sardinia totaled €1,014 million. An analysis of the most recent consumer spending data estimates that in 2023, Sardinian households spent €1,014 million on electricity and gas, representing 4.9% of total household spending (in line with the national average of 4.7%), equal to 2.6% of GDP, and a higher share than the national average of 2.1%. The report also analyzed the slowdown in green investments, revealing that 21.4% of island businesses invested in green technologies in 2024, a decrease of 4.1 percentage points compared to 25.5% in 2023.

(Unioneonline)

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