The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Electricity prices are skyrocketing: What needs to be considered when changing providers

2022-03-23T21:40:04.711Z


Electricity prices are skyrocketing: What needs to be considered when changing providers Created: 03/23/2022, 22:31 By: Fee Halberstadt Electricity prices are currently at “historic highs”. (Iconic image) © Federico Gambarini/dpa The Ukraine conflict caused already rising electricity prices to skyrocket again. Experts even speak of historic highs. Kassel – Energy costs in Germany have been sk


Electricity prices are skyrocketing: What needs to be considered when changing providers

Created: 03/23/2022, 22:31

By: Fee Halberstadt

Electricity prices are currently at “historic highs”.

(Iconic image) © Federico Gambarini/dpa

The Ukraine conflict caused already rising electricity prices to skyrocket again.

Experts even speak of historic highs.

Kassel – Energy costs in Germany have been skyrocketing for several months.

As a result, it was already established at the end of 2021 that the prices for electricity, gas and heating oil were rising rapidly.

According to a Spiegel report, the reason for the rising costs is the rising procurement costs for companies.

This increase is then passed on to customers.

In December 2021, almost all providers had increased their prices by an average of 9.4 percent.

Thorsten Storck, energy expert at the comparison portal Verivox, comments on the high prices: “Electricity prices in Germany are at an all-time high.

Consumers in this country have never had to pay so much for electricity.” In addition, things have not always gone smoothly in recent months.

There were delivery stops, new contracts rejected and annoyance* among customers.

Due to extremely high electricity prices, some want to change their electricity provider

According to Verivox, the costs for heating, refueling and electricity rose by more than a quarter within 21 days.

The comparison portal calculated the energy costs for a three-person model household with an annual heating requirement of 20,000 kilowatt hours, an electricity consumption of 4000 kilowatt hours and an annual mileage of 13,300 kilometers.

According to Verivox, on February 24, the day Russian troops invaded Ukraine, the energy costs of such a model household were 5,454 euros per year.

On Thursday (03/17/2022) the same amount of energy cost 6946 euros.

The effects of heating with oil were particularly strong: According to the calculations, heating oil increased in price by 59 percent in the three weeks.

In the case of gas, the costs rose by 28 percent for new contracts over 20,000 kilowatt hours.

Refueling costs an average of 25 percent more.

Increase in electricity prices: This should be taken into account when changing electricity providers

Many households in Germany have not yet been affected by the increases because their tariffs have not yet been adjusted.

Others, on the other hand, are feeling the effects of price increases and are therefore looking for cheaper tariffs.

The consumer center advises to pay attention to a few things.

First of all, you should inform yourself in detail about different providers and tariffs.

A comparison portal can also help with this.

However, it is important to take a closer look here.

Sometimes there are still outdated prices on these websites, which can lead to irritation.

The basic provider should also be taken into account.

This also often does not appear on comparison portals.

When you come across a bonus, be sure to read the terms and conditions carefully.

The cheap tariff often drops after a year.

Comparatively, it will then be even more expensive.

If the contract can be canceled after the first year, the bonus is a good way to save money.

However, you will then have to look for a new tariff again.

So-called kilowatt packages often have to be bought for the low price – if the kilowatt hours purchased are used up before the end of the year, you have to pay a lot later.

Switching electricity providers: Important tips for a lower electricity price

There are often separate offers for existing customers.

These cannot be selected for new customers.

In some cases, the contract prices are even extremely high for new customers*.

It can therefore also make sense to stay with your own electricity provider, as reported by Protal Finanztip.

Your own provider may be able to give you a good deal if you ask in person.

If you still want to switch, three criteria should definitely be met in order to consider the new tariff.

  • Maximum 12 months initial contract period

  • Maximum 1 month extension

  • Maximum 1 month notice period

In principle, a price guarantee can also help to avoid further increases in energy costs.

Many electricity suppliers offer this, but the extent of the guarantee is decisive.

In most cases, the price guarantee is valid for one year.

And if legal increases such as taxes, levies, surcharges or network charges are not covered by the guarantee, they are not of much use in the current situation, because you can still face increases.

(fh/apf)

*hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2022-03-23

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.