Gas is already unaffordable for many. And it will probably get even worse: The number of households that cannot pay their gas bills is likely to increase. You can read here when the supplier can turn off the gas tap.
“Telephone, gas, electrics – unpaid, and that works too,” Herbert Grönemeyer once sang. It sounded so defiant and encouragingly rebellious at the time. Today, about 20 years later, the words are once again given a very up-to-date meaning. Because the worry about not being able to pay the gas bill for heating, hot water and stove is going around.
You don’t have to look back two decades to realize that the world was different back then. Especially the price of gas. The latter caused difficulties. Natural gas is the undisputed leader among the energy sources used for heating. It is used to feed central and floor heating systems, gas heat pumps or gas ovens. Natural gas is used as an energy source in 48.2 percent of the 40.6 million homes in Germany. That’s almost 20 million homes. And more than 35 million people live in it.
The horrendously increased gas price has long since become a political issue and is causing many customers to fear for their existence. They tremble before the announced or already implemented price increases and hefty additional payments. And some of them will not be able to meet the payment requirements.
It is clear that only defiant poetry does not help those affected. On the contrary, those who cannot pay their bills are threatened with a gas blockage from the supplier. Even before the energy crisis, this was threatened more than a million times a year. And more than 40,000 households actually had their gas supply cut off. This affects consumers who have their own supply contract with a gas supplier. So households with a gas heating system or tenants or owners of a single-family house with gas central heating.
Which brings up the question of when the utility can do this. And, of course, how consumers can prevent or react to such a scenario.
A gas block is usually triggered by missing payments to the supplier. The reasons are primarily low income, rising gas prices or a very cold winter. Sometimes just negligence. But there is still a long way to go before the energy supplier instructs the network operator to shut off the gas supply. Nobody has to worry about waking up overnight in a cold apartment. The gas tap cannot simply be turned off. This is regulated in the Basic Gas Supply Ordinance (GasGVV).
The requirements for this are:
Also, the supply may not be interrupted if the consumer can credibly assure that there is “reasonable prospect that he will meet his obligations”. In addition, it already applies that if the gas bill is objected to in writing or the price increases are objected to, the gas may not be turned off either. At least if the old prices continue to be paid at the same time. Even a threat is not allowed in this case.
A gas lock ends when the reasons for it no longer exist. Then the network operator must cancel it immediately. Incidentally, both the implementation and the lifting of the gas lock costs. The range for both measures is between 10 and around 150 euros.
According to the Federal Network Agency, anyone who has problems paying their gas deductions or cannot cope with additional claims should take the following to heart:
So that it doesn’t get that far in the first place, it is important to note the following:
Good to know: The costs for electricity and gas are already included in the standard rates for help with subsistence or basic security. By receiving housing benefit, the monthly rent burden can be reduced. Anyone who receives benefits from the job center or social welfare office can often have the deductions transferred directly from the social service provider to the energy supplier. An informal application to the appropriate authority is sufficient.
And a little hope at the end for those in distress. As part of the corona pandemic, the federal government had put together an aid package for consumers. If they had no money to pay for basic services, payments could be temporarily suspended without fear of being cut off from services. But: The claim of the creditors for additional payment did not expire, it was rather a matter of deferring payment. It is conceivable that the federal government will reconsider such temporary relief.
