Rising energy costs are increasingly burdening households and companies. What is explosive is that the price spiral is now continuing. The first municipal utilities want to double the electricity price from January 2023. FOCUS online says what those affected must do now.
Bad news for all customers of Stadtwerke München. The default supplier is massively increasing the electricity price on January 1st.
A two-person household with a consumption of 2500 kilowatt hours per year would then have to pay 1676 euros for this. So far, the household has paid 753 euros for this.
The reason for the price increase is the high retail prices, increased fees for the network operators and the higher statutory levies. Stadtwerke München is the basic supplier in the state capital, but has nationwide distribution.
Not an isolated case!
Stadtwerke Konstanz is also raising prices by 100 percent. The kilowatt hour breaks the sound barrier of 30 cents. At Stadtwerke Elmsdorf, there is also a substantial price adjustment. Customers of the regional basic supplier have to pay 80 percent more for electricity.
There were also price adjustments at Stadtwerke Trier and Rostocker Stadtwerke.
The federal government has decided on an electricity price brake from January 2023. It caps the electricity price at 40 cents per kilowatt hour. The cap applies to 80 percent of the previous year’s consumption. For industrial customers, the cap is 13 cents for 70 percent of historical consumption.
According to the suppliers, however, the electricity price brake planned by the federal and state governments is “unachievable”. The will of the energy industry is there, “but we are talking about a complex system in which millions of consumers have to be billed correctly with a large number of different tariff structures,” said the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) on Thursday.
Standardized programs have to be completely reprogrammed in hundreds of companies. This requires appropriate experts who only have limited capacities. “This also applies to the gas price brake,” emphasized the association
In addition, many people will not benefit from it at all because the electricity price is less than 40 cents.
If the price of electricity doubles, it can threaten the existence of low-income earners.
Read the price hike letter carefully. Pay close attention to what you should pay more for electricity each month. In many cases, energy suppliers require – calculated over the year – advance payments in the amount of a small vehicle. Compare whether the deduction was determined correctly. If the kilowatt hour of electricity increases and the discount is set higher at the same time, the adjustment may not be effective.
So react immediately.
Do you have a price guarantee contract? Then the adjustment is also ineffective, says the Federal Association of Consumers.
If the provider remains stubborn: terminate the direct debit procedure and contact the consumer advice center or a lawyer.
If the money is not enough to pay the higher electricity bill, contact the relevant city or district administration, specifically the housing benefit authority, as soon as possible.
There you can apply for housing benefit or a rent subsidy. Application forms are available in paper form or online on the city or county website.
The authority responds to the application with a written decision within eight weeks.
If you had a very high consumption, step on the power brake immediately.
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