Forecast of the consumer advice center: “Heating costs rise by over 200 euros per year”

Forecast of the consumer advice center
“Heating costs rise by over 200 euros per year”

Because of the gas price explosion, a typical family household will probably pay 1260 euros for heating and hot water this year, consumer advocates calculate. Trade unionists are calling for “winter aid for millions of households”.

German consumers have to reckon with significantly higher heating costs due to rising gas prices. Calculated over the full year 2021, a typical family household in a 120 square meter detached house is expected to pay 1260 euros for heating and hot water – last year it was 990 euros, as can be seen from a sample calculation by the German Consumer Association (VZBV) for “Welt am Sonntag”.

In a 100 square meter apartment, the annual heating costs increase from an average of 770 to 980 euros. The VZBV used the price level of October 2020 and October 2021 according to the heating cost table as a basis for the annual accounts. An average efficiency standard for the properties in question and a gas price of currently seven cents per kilowatt hour were also assumed. In the case of the apartment, 14,000 kilowatt hours of gas were assumed to be consumed, and 18,000 kilowatt hours in the case of the single-family home.

The head of the union IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie, Michael Vassiliadis, called for a subsidy for the socially disadvantaged. “We need winter aid for millions of households,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. “The simplest would be a monthly fixed amount that families can use to cushion the additional costs for heating and electricity.” In the case of Hartz IV recipients, winter aid could be paid through job centers; in the case of employees, this could be done through wages, said Vassiliadis.

The EU Commission presented recommendations to the member states on Wednesday on how to reduce the burden on consumers. She suggested, for example, vouchers for low-income households or targeted tax cuts. In addition, renewable energies would have to be expanded and storage capacities strengthened.

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