The cost of living is exploding. Experts expect that by autumn at the latest there will be a nasty surprise when it comes to heating and further price increases will be possible. FOCUS Online makes the checkout. What do singles and families have to pay for wood, gas, heating oil and electricity?
Consumers are unsettled. The first property managers will determine for the coming fall when the heating will be turned on and when not. This will save fuel oil and gas.
According to a representative survey by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), 77 percent of the 1,200 people surveyed stated that they had changed their behavior in the past few months and tried to save energy when heating or using hot water.
Only about one in five (19 percent) said they had not changed their behavior.
You have to pay so-called deductions for your energy consumption every month. The amount is determined by your previous year’s consumption and the tariff that you have taken out. Gas and electricity providers have announced price increases in recent weeks.
It doesn’t matter whether companies have already come by to read the meter readings or you have already submitted your consumption, you should expect a substantial additional payment this autumn.
FOCUS Online says: If you even got money back this year, you should definitely ask for an upward adjustment. Otherwise you pay in too little and there is a nasty surprise in winter 2023.
The advance payments are usually corrected upwards, which goes beyond the budget planning of millions of people because they have less money available each month after deducting all costs.
Average values were determined for the calculation.
The heating consumption depends on the living space, the type of heating, the year the heating was built, the number of people and the tariff. Experts calculate, for example, that gas will consume an average of 140 kilowatt hours per square meter per year, that of electricity heating will be around 120 kilowatt hours per square meter and that of heating oil will have an average consumption of 18 to 19 liters per square meter.
The consumption required for heating
What is the total cost per year
What you have to put aside for it every month
The consumption required
What is the total cost per year
What you have to pay monthly for it
Also read: Large country comparison – from “price freeze” to heat checks: This is how our neighbors relieve their citizens
The consumption required
What is the total cost per year
What you have to pay monthly for it
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Wood has not been spared from the general increase in fuel prices. This applies to firewood as well as wood pellets. According to data from the German Pellet Institute, their average price has almost doubled since January 2021 – from EUR 238.05 to EUR 431.56 per ton in June.
However, according to the Pellet Institute, the costs per kilowatt hour are still considerably lower than for oil or gas heating.
The firewood dealers are faced with a nationwide rush of customers and can no longer meet the exorbitantly increased demand in many places. “The market is empty,” says Gerd Müller, head of the office of the federal firewood association in Kamen.
The triggers are obviously both the skyrocketing gas and heating oil prices as well as the concern that the heating could remain cold next winter. “People are unsettled or even scared,” says the Central Association for Sanitary, Heating and Air Conditioning.
As for firewood, the shortage has another cause. Wood as such is not scarce, as Müller explains. “Firewood has to be dried.” Air drying would take two years and take up huge storage areas, so traders have their wood “technically” dried with air blowers.
But the capacities are limited. “It’s almost impossible to get dry firewood this year,” says Müller. Around 100 companies are members of the Federal Firewood Association, which, according to Müller, exclusively market firewood from local production.
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Supermarket prices are skyrocketing, but furniture, clothing, shoes and other consumer goods are also becoming more expensive. As a retail expert, I know the tricks of the trade and tell you how you can save money for you and your family every month when shopping. Would you like to talk to me about your savings tips and tricks? Did you notice anything while shopping? Then send an e-mail to Konstantinos.mitsis@burda-forward.de with your name and phone number
