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Heating, commuting, electricity consumption: Who puts the climate package - and who saves

2019-09-27T11:59:19.226Z


The climate package will put a lot of pressure on consumers. Calculations for the SPIEGEL revealed: Some households may pay up to 300 euros per year - others even benefit. The overview.



Nudging is one of those fashion terms that illustrate how to move people around them in a more or less subtle way to change their behavior. In the best case, they behave afterwards better than before.

The Federal Government is trying to do just that with their so-called climate package: Energy consumers are to be brought through a mish-mash of measures to live CO2-technically on less large foot.

The climate package is based on the principle of "carrots and sticks": because, according to the current state of 2021, a slowly rising CO2 price will be introduced, heating and refueling should gradually become more expensive. Unless, supported by billions of government subsidies, you are switching to more climate-friendly cars or boilers.

Nudging just. At least a bit. Firstly, according to most climate researchers, the previously agreed CO2 price of ten euros per tonne is set very low. And second, the government mitigates the educational impact of the new instrument itself.

To cushion the biggest hardships of the CO2 price increase, for example, the higher fuel prices are mitigated by a higher commuter tax rate, which is given to all taxpayers with a commute distance of more than 21 kilometers. According to the Federal Statistical Office, these are mainly motorists who spend a corresponding amount of money on fuel (you can read a detailed calculation of the commuter tax allowance here).

The cost surge that the majority of consumers will have to face in the coming years is therefore limited. As calculations by the Energy Industry Institute in Cologne (EWI) show for the SPIEGEL, typical consumer groups have to adjust to cost increases of 0 to 300 euros per year by 2025. That would be a maximum of 25 euros per month.

The EMI has defined three case studies for its survey:

  • A single in a modern multi-family house in the city with a modern gas condensing boiler and electric drinking water heating, which does not own a car and rides a bike to work.
  • A single parent with child in a non-renovated apartment building in the suburb with old oil heating and electric drinking water heating. He commutes 15 kilometers with a Seat Ibiza to their work.
  • A family of four in the countryside with two working parents and a taxable annual income of 100,000 euros, which lives in their own family home with old gas condensing boiler for heating and DHW heating. The parents commute 40 or 30 kilometers to work - with a VW Passat Estate and a VW Golf.

The case examples for the calculations are not representative. But they are an approximation of typical life situations of German consumers - and thus provide an initial assessment of how strongly individual groups are likely to be affected by the changes in the climate package.

The differences are quite large according to EWI calculations. While the single in his modern city apartment with good ÖNPV connection even saves some money, the other example households would have significantly higher heating and fuel costs by 2025, if they continue to live as before.

The pressure on less climate-friendly households to reduce their own CO2 emissions is growing every year, according to the EMI. Even with the four-member sample family, which benefits both from the higher commuter allowance and from a likely slightly lower electricity price. The cost of electricity is likely to fall a little because the government wants to reduce the so-called EEG-surcharge with the income from the CO2-tax, which is beaten all consumers on their electricity bill.

The EMI calculations also show how different the possibilities of individual households are to limit the additional costs by climate-friendly behavior - or even to save some money, as in the case of singles in the big city .

For example, the single parent lives in an apartment building where he or she has little control over whether the landlord replaces the old oil heating system with a new, more efficient one. And to replace the old Seat Ibiza by a new e- or hybrid car, probably even in the provided in the climate package government funding is missing the necessary money. Whether the adult can cope with everyday life in the future by bike, bus and train depends in turn on the connection of the place of residence and work place.

Different with the family of four in a family house . At least she has the freedom of choice to replace the old gas condensing heating in her own home with a new one. The sale of their previously used cars and the purchase of more climate-friendly cars should be able to cope with an annual income of 100,000 euros financially easier than the single mother or single parent.

The question is, however, whether the pressure of the climate package is large enough to persuade people to spend several thousand euros on a more climate-friendly car or a more efficient heating system.

Experts believe that the overall impact of the climate package is too low. The SPD and the Union are already open to a slightly higher CO2 price. So it is quite possible that the push that the government wants to give its citizens in the direction of climate friendliness will ultimately be even more pronounced.

That's what the EMI has calculated

Development of electricity prices

The retail consumer prices for electricity are based on the dena lead study Integrated Energy Transition (2018). The given CO2 price paths and EEG compensations of the climate package are used. The electricity consumption of households is based on the results of the electricity level of the BDEW from the year 2017.

Development of fuel costs

The fuel cost figures were calculated using data from the ADAC car catalog. The fuel consumption is therefore based on manufacturer information. The routes are based on the results of the German mobility panel from 2018.

Development of heating costs

The calculation of heating costs is based on data from the BDEW heating costs comparison of 2018.

Calculation of the higher commuter allowance

The average household income tax burden was calculated using the income tax calculator of the Ministry of Finance. The savings result from reduced tax base and thus lower average burden.

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2019-09-27

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