Energy prices are rising and rising - but this is hardly surprising.
The costs on the international markets and for local power generation have been rising too much for some time.
German energy suppliers will increasingly pass these surcharges on to end consumers.
This is exactly what representatives of the local public utilities and the large utility Eon are preparing their customers for.
There is still a lot of uncertainty as to how much individual providers will raise their prices.
Should there be no gas imports from Russia, prices will rise even faster than before.
In view of the expensive nature of energy, the government should consider further relief packages better than the previous packages.
If the path to climate protection leads via electrification, government levies on the electricity price must be reduced, for example by lowering the electricity tax - but not the costs for fossil fuels.
As a result, climate-friendly purchases and investments in energy efficiency are more likely to pay off than before.
That would be a long-term approach that companies could also adapt to in their plans.