“Elenger” survey: every third resident is concerned about their ability to pay utility bills
Every third resident of Latvia, or 37%, admits they are concerned about whether they will be able to pay their monthly utility bills, according to a survey conducted by Elenger, the largest privately owned energy company in the Baltic and Finnish region. Residents indicate that they may have to delay paying their utility bills, be able to cover only part of their invoices, or in some cases may be unable to pay them at all. Some respondents also admit that they are currently unable to assess their ability to cope with upcoming utility payments.
Concerns about the ability to pay utility bills are most commonly expressed by young people aged 18–29, residents aged 40–49, and people living in the Latgale region. In contrast, such concerns are reported least frequently among residents in Riga and the Vidzeme region.
“For comparison, data from an Elenger survey conducted in 2024 showed that 38% of residents were worried about their ability to pay winter utility bills. This indicates that over the past two years there have been no significant changes in residents’ financial capacity – for a certain segment of society, the economic situation has not improved, and this year they are still facing difficulties covering utility costs,” says Dāvis Skulte, CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Elenger SIA.
“Due to the severe cold, Latvia recorded the highest natural gas consumption in the past five years in January and February. Harsher winter conditions have also increased consumption elsewhere in Europe. However, despite the significant rise in demand, the price of natural gas in January this year fell by approximately 38% compared to January last year. At the same time, it should be noted that the natural gas market has experienced significant price volatility in recent years, influenced by weather conditions, geopolitical developments, and shifts in global demand. Currently, developments in Iran are also causing sharp fluctuations in exchange prices for natural gas, oil, and electricity.
Therefore, when choosing a natural gas supply contract, it is important for residents to carefully evaluate their consumption habits and risk tolerance when deciding between fixed-price and variable-price offers. A fixed tariff provides long-term predictability, while a variable tariff allows consumers to respond more flexibly to market price declines. Regardless of whether paying bills is currently difficult or not, I encourage residents to review their contracts and assess opportunities to save by considering the offers currently available on the market,” explains Dāvis Skulte.
Despite high demand in Latvia, challenging supply conditions at the beginning of the year due to cold weather, and the current situation involving an interruption of natural gas supplies from one of the world’s largest producers, QatarEnergy, there have been no actual disruptions to natural gas supplies to Europe, and natural gas availability in Latvia is not at risk.
Elenger is the largest natural gas trader in the Baltic States and Finland, holding a 23% market share in the region. The company supplies natural gas from Norway and the United States and reserves capacity at the Klaipėda (Lithuania) and Inkoo (Finland) terminals, as well as at the Inčukalns Underground Gas Storage facility. This enables Elenger to maintain a supply portfolio with sufficient security reserves, ensuring stable and reliable natural gas deliveries to customers throughout the entire heating season. Therefore, even amid rising geopolitical tensions, supply security in Latvia is not under threat, and there will be sufficient natural gas until the end of the heating season.
The survey was conducted by Elenger in cooperation with Norstat Latvia in January 2026 and September 2024. Both surveys included 1,006 respondents aged between 18 and 76.
