Household utility costs in Bonn Electricity more expensive than ever

Bonn · With the highest price increase ever, electricity has never been more expensive for private households in Germany as it is now. Gas consumers also have to spend more money.

 The Federal Network Agency has calculated an average price of 30.85 cents per kilowatt hour as of April 1.

The Federal Network Agency has calculated an average price of 30.85 cents per kilowatt hour as of April 1.

Foto: dpa

Electricity has never been as expensive for private households in Germany as it is this year. For the first time residents had to pay an average of more than 30 cents per kilowatt hour according to calculations by the Federal Network Agency. For the April 1 deadline, the authorities calculated an average price of 30.85 cents per kilowatt hour. This was almost one cent more than at the same time last year, as can be seen from the figures for the new monitoring report of the Federal Network Agency.

The increase in the price of electricity by almost 3.3 percent is the highest in recent years. On April 1, 2018, the average price per kilowatt hour was 29.88 cents. In previous years, it was around 29,86 cents (2017) and 29,80 cents (2016). The Federal Network Agency calculates an average price from data provided by well over 1,000 electricity suppliers. For the first time since 2014, gas also became more expensive for household consumers. The average price per kilowatt hour rose by almost 4.5 percent to 6.34 cents.

The price of gas could also continue to rise. According to the comparison portal Verivox, 40 local gas suppliers have already announced price increases for September, October and November. "The price level of natural gas will remain high in the coming heating period," said Valerian Vogel, energy expert at Verivox. In the long term, however, consumer prices could fall again.

According to the Network Agency, the price increases for electricity this year were reflected in the costs that can be controlled by the suppliers, which account for about a quarter of the total electricity price. However, the largest part of the electricity bill is taxes, levies and allocations, which account for more than half of the total price. According to the figures of the Federal Network Agency, they remained almost stable in 2019. In particular, the increase in wholesale prices had an impact on private electricity bills.

Consumer protectors criticize the fact that suppliers pass on increases in electricity prices much faster than falling prices. "With falling sourcing prices, customers often have to wait years for this development to be reflected in their bills." If the prices rise, they feel it very fast, said energy expert of the consumer center North-Rhine/Westphalia, Udo Sieverding.

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