Many households in Germany have to expect higher costs for heating and the provision of hot water - at least when heating with natural gas. The average gas price for households has climbed to its highest level in three years.
Converted to a model household with three to four people and an annual consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours, the annual expenditure has risen last on average to 1263 euros, has calculated the comparison portal Check24. The portal Verivox comes to 1220 euros.
The bottom line is that gas costs have increased by almost ten percent within six months. A similarly rapid price increase had last in 2008. The driving factor is the long-term rising cost on the world market. According to the comparison portals, the procurement prices of the gas utilities were on average around 28 percent higher than in the previous year.
348 providers have raised prices
Companies often do not immediately pass on higher purchase prices to their customers, but with delays, so that the turnaround only now reaches consumers in full. So far this year, according to Check24, 348 companies have either raised their prices or announced such a move, averaging 6.8 percent. Verivox has even higher figures: 288 price increases at the turn of the year and 80 more for the months of February to May, on average by ten percent.
"This trend will continue in the coming months," said Valerian Vogel of Verivox. If consumers want to change their provider, they should agree on a tariff with a long price guarantee beyond the next winter, to avoid further price increases once out of the way.
Even if gas prices are rising again for consumers, they are still well below previous highs. Ten years ago, in January 2009, the cost of annual consumption was highest. At that time, consumers had to pay 1597 euros for 20,000 kilowatt hours, which is over 300 euros more than today. Especially in the past five years, the price of gas has fallen continuously and at times has fallen below the comparable price of heating oil.