Many electricity customers are currently receiving unwanted mail from their provider, and everyone has to adjust to higher prices. In an interview with ntv.de, Matthias Moeschler, who runs the Verbraucherhilfe-stromlieferant.de portal and brokers electricity contracts himself, explains which increases are appropriate and when it is worth switching.
ntv.de: Horror stories about price jumps can be heard everywhere at the moment. Customers of Stadtwerke Flensburg, for example, received an offer last week: the working price for their electricity will rise from around 25 to 55 cents per kilowatt hour if the previously agreed price guarantee ends at the turn of the year. The basic price also increases slightly. More than a doubling sounds pretty drastic – what about the price increase?
Matthias Moeschler: With an average consumption of 2500 kilowatt hours per year in a two-person household, the monthly electricity costs increase from a good 60 euros a month to almost 130 euros. However, the previous working price of 25 cents was very cheap, and less than 55 cents are currently not that easy to find. However, I don’t think it’s fair that the affected customers only had a few days to decide whether to accept the offer. And if they don’t agree, in my experience, the price increase is even higher – or the customer is even terminated.
What price range are electricity customers currently being offered, and how much do they have to pay as a minimum?
As far as I know, DB Energy was the leader with an increase to 157 cents per kilowatt hour in individual cases – they obviously want to get rid of customers. Evita raised to a whopping 102 cents, Shell to 71. That can definitely be viewed as usury and, in my opinion, is probably contestable. There are very few offers from 35 cents, every second customer can get tariffs from 47 cents. But 55 cents are quite realistic, not outrageous.
Where can I find the cheaper offers?
Unfortunately that is difficult. The well-known comparison portals are usually very expensive, with a few exceptions in certain cities. There are special cases such as Eon, which offered customers 37 cents per kilowatt hour when they called there. Another example is the national provider Energie Südbayern, which offers 35 cents in some regions. Energy brokers also broker contracts at special conditions. Basically, I recommend tariffs with a price guarantee and get several offers. You should also ask your basic supplier about special tariffs with a price guarantee.
Basic suppliers were previously considered to be more expensive, has that changed?
At the moment, basic suppliers are often even cheaper, but they will also increase their prices. One should be aware of this when switching to them. The basic suppliers procure the energy on a long-term basis. If, for example, a basic supplier buys for more than three years, then he was able to buy two thirds of his energy cheaply. However, the price advantage is lost over the years, because the basic suppliers also have to buy expensive replacements. That said, the price hike will come later, but it’s definitely coming.
Which customers are affected by the current electricity price increases?
Ultimately, all customers will get a price increase, regardless of whether they are in the basic service or have concluded a special contract. Contracts with a price guarantee are advantageous. However, individual providers even canceled customers’ contracts before the agreed price guarantee expired – in my opinion this is not permissible and the customers concerned should defend themselves.
Do some providers behave more fairly than others?
Energy discounters such as Immergrün, Voxenergie, Primastrom or Extraenergie are sometimes very aggressive. In the past few years you have bought at short notice because it was cheaper. A year ago the tide turned. In order to reduce their losses, they have drastically increased prices and in some cases even kicked out customers. In comparison, municipal utilities behave in a much more customer-friendly manner. They usually buy for the long term and are therefore currently under less pressure. Also, they are usually not as ruthless because they are connected to their region. I myself primarily mediate contracts with municipal utilities or large energy suppliers. Even municipal utilities do not always behave in a customer-friendly manner. Hamburg Energie and Schwarzwald Energy, for example, terminated contracts at the end of the term. Maingau Energie and Rheinpower stand out with strong price increases.
The sums of the gas price increases are even larger. What do you recommend here?
The price increases for gas are even more drastic and alternatives are unfortunately even more difficult to find. I recommend the same thing as for electricity: weigh up between the basic service and special contracts with a price guarantee. Consumers should also inquire about special contracts with the basic supplier. In most cases, the basic suppliers will currently be cheaper, but as I said, they will also increase prices.
Christina Lohner spoke to Matthias Moeschler