The war in Ukraine and the economic sanctions that followed have driven world market prices for natural gas to unprecedented levels. This is gradually coming to the end consumer. Energy consultants are currently confronted with many questions.
Rostock/Schwerin (dpa/mv) – Due to rising energy prices, more and more people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are looking for help and advice from the state’s consumer center and their partners. As Justice Minister Jacqueline Bernhardt (left), who is also responsible for consumer protection, said on Wednesday after visiting the state headquarters in Rostock, demand had doubled within a year. In the first half of 2021, there were almost 600 consultations on the subject of energy, and in the first six months of 2022 there were already 1,300.
According to Bernhardt’s assessment, the 28 federally financed energy bases in particular will have significantly more work to do in autumn and winter. The federal government must ensure that the need for advice, especially for the poorer people who are particularly affected by the price increases, can still be covered. The Federal Ministry of Economics will point this out again, said Bernhardt.
According to the head of the state consumer center, Wiebke Cornelius, the inquiries affect almost all areas of the energy industry. Interested parties inquired about the possibilities of using solar panels or heat pumps to generate their own energy. In addition, consumers wanted to know whether electricity and gas providers could simply terminate the supply contracts or whether they could now raise prices sharply despite promised price guarantees.
Bernhardt derived from this a growing need for legal advice in concrete crisis situations. In addition, she again campaigned for a nationwide energy debt moratorium in order to prevent imminent short-term energy cuts in justified cases.
According to Cornelius, it is often clear in the talks that the enormously increased energy prices are pushing households to the limit of their financial possibilities. The growing demand for advice on the subject of energy also reveals the current great uncertainty among consumers. “All of our consultants are currently working under high pressure in order to be able to meet the numerous inquiries in each individual case and to identify the best individual solution,” assured Cornelius.
The chairwoman of the Federal Association of Consumers, Ramona Pop, had called for a further relief package from the federal government in view of the ongoing price development for the autumn. Many people are desperate and wondering how to get through this fall and winter. Low earners in particular should be relieved in a targeted manner, Pop warned.
