In Rackstadbacken, north of Arvika, schools can ski for free. Here the residents of the community also teach their children to ride horses. The Arvika Slalom Club is a completely non-profit, non-profit organization. Above all, the snow cannons use a lot of electricity.
DN has written several articles about how the rollout works The new electricity tariffs are blind and lead to uncontrolled costs. In this case, the Arvika Slalom Club has been paying a so-called effect subscription for several years. It is reminiscent of the electricity tariffs that are now being introduced nationwide. This has led to a doubling of prices.
– We have the same cable as we have had since the 1940s, so the cost to the carrier has not changed. But the internet fee alone is now around SEK 15,000 per month, says club chairman Erik Sundström.
This is where the club begins get financial problems.
– This is a winter sport after all. We operate the snow cannons from November to February when a lot of electricity is used. But basically we won’t be getting rid of any electricity at all for the rest of the year. Still, we have to pay the same amount for the subscription every month. It’s incomprehensible, those who invented this system don’t seem to understand the impact it has, he says.
In Arvika, the municipality-owned Arvika Elnät AB owns the cables. According to Erik Sundström, there is good cooperation between the slalom club and the community.
– You value our business and we receive subsidies. Without the volunteer work of our members, it would be much more expensive for the community to keep the mountain running. But they say that they cannot treat us differently, but that all electricity customers must be treated equally.
This means that the non-profit slalom club receives the same electricity tariff as the year-round commercial enterprise.
Erik Sundström points this out that it is sensible not to treat “competitors” differently, but there are none of those in Arvika. He also believes that many other seasonal businesses will be affected – incurring high costs that cannot be recouped in other parts of the year because they will be closed.
Olof Öberg, electricity network manager at Teknik i väst, which is responsible for the electricity network in Arvika, agrees that the type of companies called “peak load customers” are vulnerable.
– In winter there are annual costs that are very high, he says.
At the same time, it is not possible to adjust the subscriptions accordingly; instead, you pay a fixed annual subscription.
– We treat all customers equally and cannot make any deviations.
During the year Arvika Elnät will introduce the new high and low charging times, which will also apply to the Arvika Slalom Club. This means there is no impact fee during late evenings, nights and weekends.
– If they can vary their power output and run certain parts of the day, there will be no electricity charge.
But if you have to operate the snow cannons for an effect fee, perhaps it will be even more expensive?
“It is difficult for me to judge how many hours the snow cannons are sufficient, but we are introducing a pricing model that gives them this opportunity,” says Olof Öberg.
According to Erik Sundström, this shows that the electricity company does not understand the problem.
– Snowmaking takes place at three degrees or colder. It’s not possible to wait until 6 p.m. and then switch off at 6 a.m., then we have to last the whole winter. We want it done in as few hours as possible. “We pointed it out to them,” he says.
According to SLAO the ski facilities When electricity tariffs are introduced later this year, this type of non-profit so-called “home hill” risks being hit hard.
– It is something that people are opening their eyes to now, we will deal with it at the next board meeting, says Magnus Noppa, CEO of the organization.
As in the case of the electric car charging station in Orust that DN described earlier, it is difficult to change operations and shift consumption.
– It is very critical, especially for a ski resort, now it is cold and snowy even in the south, but it will not always stay that way. During a certain number of weeks, evenings and nights you have to use a lot of electricity. So far, not many people have received the effects fees, but they are regulated by the state and everyone should receive them, says Magnus Noppa.
Niklas Ericsson is chairman for Båsenberga Slalomklubb, which is located in Båsenbergabacken outside Katrineholm.
– We are getting shorter and shorter time windows in which we can produce snow. You don’t always have the opportunity to do this only at night. This year we produced 133 hours of snow, he says.
The club has had this winter Approximately 210,000 SEK electricity costs, of which 40,000 SEK for the subscription. Half of the revenue from lift tickets goes towards electricity. Now there are fears that impact fees will make things even worse. The operation is carried out exclusively through the voluntary work of the club members.
– Electricity costs have skyrocketed recently, and this year too the price of electricity was 60 percent higher than normal, notes Niklas Ericsson.
