This clearly shows that wholesale energy prices this year have been lower than they were in 2021. Yet the price of electricity charged to people is much higher now than it was then.

Yes, but the price cap in 2021 was set with a scheme that used the last 6 months of wholesale prices to set the cap, and now the scheme uses the last 3 months. So back then, then last 6 months had been low prices (2020 was especially low). Today the last 3 months have been dropping from higher prices.

This is why, right now, the best deals are on tariffs which are based on the wholesale price today. Day trackers or agile. However, if you’re worried about the wholesale price going up over winter you may want to consider locking in a price now. Personally, I’m not expecting massive fluctuations as Europe is much better prepared this winter than last.