At least 1000 euros: Consumers will soon have to pay that much more for electricity and gas

Created: 08/18/2022, 17:01

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

Gas and electricity prices have rushed from one high to the next in recent months.

It will therefore soon be really expensive for consumers, as calculations for model households show.

Berlin – The gas surcharge is coming – with VAT.

The EU has rejected the federal government's request for an exemption from the tax regulations.

The government is now discussing whether VAT should be reduced to a minimum of five percent instead of the full 19 percent.

Gas prices: families now have to pay 4,088 euros instead of 1,258 euros

Current data (as of August 17th, 2022) from the comparison portal Verivox shows that consumers are facing much higher costs due to the sharp rise in energy prices - the gas surcharge plays a rather subordinate role even with the full VAT rate.

Millions of people are affected: around half of all apartments in Germany are heated with gas.

According to Verivox, a family in a single-family house with a consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) paid an average of 1,258 euros a year for gas in August 2021.

In 2022, the price is already 4,088 euros - the price increase is 225 percent.

Couples and singles have to accept even higher cost increases: A two-person household with a consumption of 12,000 kWh had to shell out around 688 euros in August 2021 - now it is 2,271 euros.

Here is the

Price increase 230 percent.

For a single household with a consumption of 5,000 kWh, the price increase is even 257 percent.

This sample household now costs 1,034 euros – a year earlier it was 290 euros.

Huge additional costs due to higher prices for electricity and gas

In addition to the gas surcharge, there are also higher electricity prices, which also add up to several hundred euros in additional costs.

All in all, consumers with gas heating have to be prepared for additional energy costs in the amount of an average monthly net income.

A sample household with a gas consumption of 20,000 kWh and electricity consumption of 4000 kWh has to pay 3869 euros on top of that – the costs total 5767 euros.

If the gas levy with the full VAT rate is added in autumn, it is 6343 euros – at least, since even higher gas prices are expected.

An overview with the Verivox data shows the huge cost increases:

“Gas prices have already almost tripled year-on-year.

With the new surcharge, gas will become even more expensive.

This will cause many households massive financial problems,” says Thorsten Storck, energy expert at Verivox.

He predicts that this winter will be the most expensive ever.

also read

Pension: These cohorts are allowed to retire before the age of 67

Energy price flat rate: How pensioners get the 300 euros

High energy prices: the federal government should put together a new relief package

Economists warn that many households cannot do this on their own.

The pressure on the federal government is increasing to put together a new relief package as soon as possible.

There are many suggestions for this: Marcel Fratzscher, President of the German Institute for Economic Research, told the German Press Agency: "The best instrument is direct transfer payments such as energy money of 100 euros per person and per month for the next 18 months." should only go to people with middle and low incomes and not to people with high incomes.

The scientific director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Business Cycle Research (IMK) of the Hans Böckler Foundation, Sebastian Dullien, proposes a new edition of the energy flat rate.

This can be paid in December.

Households that have largely been left empty-handed so far, such as pensioners with low incomes but without housing benefit, should also be taken into account.

"Another good option would be to introduce a gas price cap for basic consumption per household."