ᐅ Gas Price Increase Effective January 1, 2022

Benutzer200 schrieb:

Increased procurement costs are the companies' own misfortune and must not lead to price increases. This is not allowed—regardless of the location.

.. and in case of doubt, this leads to the insolvency of the respective company, and then you have to switch to another supplier.

I saw a report about this sometime in the last few days. Currently, some suppliers are already sending out increases to advance payment fees without a recent billing based on potentially higher consumption values. And that is nothing other than prepayment—in my opinion, an attempt to save whatever can be saved 😉.

kbt09 schrieb:

.. and in case of doubt leads to the insolvency of the respective company and then you have to switch to another provider.

Yep. You can see this happening right now with some providers in the news (these are often just small, two-person companies looking to make quick money).

But the same applies to energy supply contracts or telecommunications contracts as with many consumer goods: if you buy the cheapest, you often end up paying twice. The large, reputable providers are usually only 5 or 10€ per year more expensive.

Tom1978 schrieb:

Not bad. The price increase confirms my decision to integrate a ground-source heat pump into the new build and support it with a larger photovoltaic system.

Glad to hear that. But no offense:
Many gas users live in houses that have been standing for a while and were built under different conditions. Certain subsidies that you are now getting with your heat pumps didn’t exist back then. Interest rates for financing were higher (there used to be rates of 4% and more, but most are now around 2-3% with mixed interest when combined with the KfW subsidy, the only subsidy, mind you).
So there’s no need to rub salt in the wound. The benchmark is very individual...

And yes, we also consciously chose green electricity and green gas to support subsidies that benefit the public (e.g., CO2 reduction). That seems to be over now: I increasingly feel like we are paying into a fund that others only withdraw from, but do not replenish or use responsibly.

Benutzer200 schrieb:

A really stupid question: Why are you still with the default energy supplier and haven’t signed a proper fixed-price contract?

I have a fixed-price contract. It just expires sometimes.

andimann schrieb:

Well, maybe that’s not so bad right now. I just checked, and the standard tariff at my local utility company is currently a full 30% CHEAPER than the cheapest offer on comparison portals... Unbelievable, really crazy times...

My father told me something similar.

I’m currently putting together a table (@Steffi33, I’ve included your figures in there too, thanks):

Simply put: until October 2021, at an annual consumption of about 11,500 kWh, we paid 73€/month. Now we’re supposed to pay 163€ 🙁
The price per kWh has gone up from 5.75 to 14.53 ... and you waste a day of vacation for it :p 🙄

ypg schrieb:

I'm happy for you. But don’t take this the wrong way:
Many gas users live in houses that have been standing for some time and were built under different conditions. Certain subsidies that you now get with your heat pumps probably didn’t exist back then. Interest rates for financing were higher (there used to be rates of 4% and higher, but nowadays most are around 2-3% as a mixed rate with KfW subsidies, which are the only subsidies, by the way).
No need to rub salt in the wound. The benchmark is very individual...

And yes, we also consciously chose green electricity and biogas at some point in order to support subsidies that benefit the general public (e.g., CO2 reduction). But that seems to have ended now: I feel like we are paying into a pot that others are only drawing from, without replenishing or using it responsibly.

I have a contract with a fixed price, but that also expires sometimes.

My father said something similar.

I’m currently making a spreadsheet (@Steffi33, I’ve also included your numbers there for myself, thanks):

In short: until October 2021, we paid €73 per month for an annual consumption of about 11,500 kWh. Now we are supposed to pay €163 🙁
The consumption price has been raised from €5.75 to €14.53... and for that, you waste a vacation day :p 🙄

I no longer take anything personally here :-) But I know many home builders nearby who have built or are still building with gas boilers over the last two years. It is clear that gas boilers were once considered the better heating option, for example compared to oil heating. However, nowadays, choosing gas for new construction seems outdated to me.

kbt09 schrieb:

... this is nothing more than advance payment... in my opinion, to salvage what can be salvaged

This reminds me more of the so-called oil crisis in 1973.
In my opinion, the goal was to get as much out of it as possible.

At that time, full oil tankers were parked in the North Sea to limit oil deliveries (reported by a former radio operator on the freighters).

ypg schrieb:

Many gas users live in houses that have been standing for some time and were built under different conditions. Certain subsidies that you now receive with your heat pumps, for example, did not exist before. Interest rates for financing were higher (there used to be rates of 4% and above, but most are now around 2-3% in a mixed rate with KfW funding, which is the only subsidy, mind you).
There’s no need to dwell on that. The benchmark is very individual. ...

Yes, this applies to some people here, and as a heat pump or photovoltaic supporter, there’s no need to act smart. Unfortunately, this also works the other way around: there are forum members who still take their own (wrong?) decision as the gold standard and keep claiming that heat pumps are more expensive and complicated nonsense; photovoltaic systems are unprofitable; gas prices have risen much less than electricity over the last decades; gas will be available forever; and if not, then it will simply be made ‘greener’ with hydrogen, etc. And with this kind of nonsense, gas boilers are promoted. At least in a new-build section of a house construction forum, it would be good if this kind of nonsense stopped.

Of course, it doesn’t help to debate this on an individual level. This should really be the task of responsible, forward-looking government policy. But if you do nothing for sixteen years, problems pile up. Who could have predicted that?

On topic: I do think there are currently special effects that will normalize again. Nevertheless, prices for fossil fuels will tend to rise over time.