What is there to know about grid access fees?

The grid access fee is a state regulated per-voltage-level rate of charge for network utilization, intended to cover the distributor’s network licensing expenses.

In addition to this there is an obligatory transmission and system operation charge (1,000 HUF/kWh) calculated on the basis of the amount of electric energy consumed, and there is an ancillary services fee (0.672 Ft/kWh), both transferred to MAVIR Zrt. by the distributors, pursuant to the respective regulations.

It is important to know that these charges were not introduced as of 1 January, 2008, as they had been included in the previous regulated price. Although it was not obligatory to display them per item, there was detailed information on fee items at the bottom of the bill.

Distribution fees effective as of 1 January, 2008
(Based on GKM Decree 119/2007 (XII.29.) by the Minister of Economy and Transport ) 

In addition to this, consumers with profiled accounts have to pay a distributor’s schedule balancing fee of 0.5 HUF/kWh after their electricity throughput.

Definitions of the items comprising the grid access fee

Transmission and system operation charges: to be paid for using the transmission network, based on energy throughput.
Charge for ancillary services: covers the costs of regulatory and control services needed to ensure the safe operation and quality of the system, paid in proportion to energy throughput.

Distribution charges:

• a) Distributor’s base fee: base fee for connection points with separate meters, payable with respect to meter voltage level.
• b) Distributor’s capacity charge: payable for contracted capacity at each connection point of the given supply point. 
• c) Energy distribution charge: rate of charge payable for the consumer’s per-voltage-level total energy throughput. 
• d) Distributor’s reactive power charge: can be capacitive or inductive reactive power charge. Inductive reactive power charge has to be accounted if the amount of accounted inductive energy exceeds 40% of accounted effective consumption in case of high voltage, 30% in case of medium voltage and 25% in case of low-voltage consumers. In such cases inductive reactive power charge has to be paid for the part over that 40-30-25%. 
• e) Distributor’s system loss charge: payable for the consumer’s per-voltage-level total energy throughput. 
• f) Distributor’s schedule balancing fee: payable by consumers with profiled accounts, for total energy throughput per voltage level.

Grid access fees can be divided into two groups in terms of accounts:

• Fees accounted during the month in question, in which cases payment is due in advance. These are the base fee and the capacity charge. 
  
• Fees accounted in the month following the month in question, for posterior payment according to the amount of energy consumed. These are all the other charges included in the grid access fee.

Consumers supplied through the public lighting grid have to pay a public lighting distribution fee for the amount of energy consumed (kWh).

Medium/low-voltage grid access fee

The Decree 119/2007 (XII.29.), by the Minister of Economy and Transport, on grid access fees introduced the concept of connecting to medium/low-voltage transformer substations.

Connecting to medium/low-voltage transformer substations comprises those connections where the connection point has a nominal voltage not exceeding 1 kV, and the connection point is located on transformer switches inside the medium/low-voltage transformer substation, or on a low-voltage switch gear, which is the property of the authorized distribution network operator and is located within the aforementioned substation.

Users consuming for public lighting purposes are considered as connected to medium/low-voltage transformer substations.