Denmark’s largest electricity company, Andel Energi, warns that households face a “crisis winter”, with electricity bills at risk of being roughly twice as high as last winter after prices hit their highest level in almost four years.
The warning was reported on November 9 by Kristeligt Dagblad, based on material from the news agency Ritzau. Over the previous week, the average Danish electricity price stood at its highest level in nearly four years. Between 5pm and 6pm on Monday, the final price for customers was expected to reach about 7.5 kroner per kilowatt-hour.
Per the same reporting, the spikes are not isolated. Marlene Holmgaard Fris, chief executive of Andel Energi, said prices have sat at a very high level since March. She added that everything points to that continuing through the winter.
Prices already double last year’s level, says Andel Energi
According to the Ritzau report, October prices were around twice as high as a year earlier, and the trend shows no sign of easing. Holmgaard Fris said there is a real risk that energy prices will be about double last winter’s level. She pointed to geopolitical unrest, unfavorable weather and the start of the heating season as factors pushing prices up.
She stressed that this is not a repeat of the historically high prices seen in 2022. Even so, she said a bill twice as large would be critical for many people in Denmark. Andel Energi is already hearing concern from customers who call in to ask about their bills.
The reporting also notes large swings within a single day. On Monday, the kilowatt-hour price varied by around five kroner across the day. That makes timing matter for energy-heavy tasks such as charging an electric car or running the washing machine.
Nordic hydro shortfall adds to the risk
Reuters reported on the same day that Nordic power markets face a heightened risk of winter price spikes. It cited hydrological deficits, limited European gas supplies and possible periods of cold, low-wind weather. According to the Danish energy trader Mind Energy, the Nordic region entered this winter with 11 terawatt-hours less available hydroelectric generation than normal.
What a crisis winter means for foreign residents
Most households in Denmark buy power on a variable tariff, where the price follows the market hour by hour. The 7.5 kroner figure quoted by Ritzau is the end price customers pay, not the raw market price, because Danish bills also carry taxes and network charges. If you rent an apartment with electric heating or your own meter, that exposure lands directly on your own electricity account rather than on a landlord’s shared bill.
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The practical point from the reporting is timing. Ritzau notes there is a lot to save by planning consumption and watching when prices are lower, which is when charging an EV or starting a wash makes the biggest difference. For newcomers comparing this winter to last, the key number from Andel Energi is the doubling, not the single-hour peak, and it arrives on top of other cost of living in Denmark pressures that come with the Danish winter.
What the reporting does not say is whether any political response is coming. Neither Kristeligt Dagblad nor Reuters mentions a government support scheme, price cap or compensation plan tied to this winter’s prices. Andel Energi’s chief executive described her figures as forecasts, and said energy prices are always difficult to predict.
