As of: February 1, 2024, 12:30 p.m
By: Anne Hund
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Tenants will receive the first operating cost statements for 2023 in these weeks.
This also includes the annual financial statement for heating costs.
In the past few months, numerous tenants have received their operating cost statements for 2022 - and are sometimes faced with high additional payments.
The Bavarian Consumer Service reports on this.
“The heating costs in particular have an impact,” it says in its message (as of January 23, 2024).
“Although the energy market has now calmed down somewhat, high heating costs are also expected for the 2023 billing year.”
Tenants will receive the first operating cost statements for 2023 in these weeks.
From the point of view of consumer advocates, it basically makes sense to take a closer look at heating billing.
What should you pay attention to?
Check additional heating costs
Heating oil, natural gas, pellets or district heating: The starting point for heating cost billing is the amount of energy required for the entire house in the billing period, usually one year.
“In addition, there are additional heating costs, which can also be billed,” the Bavarian Consumer Service also informs in its statement. These include:
Operating current
Operation and maintenance of the system
Maintenance and cleaning of the system
Chimney sweep
Consumption recording (costs of the meter reading company for reading and creating the bill)
Tenants will receive the first operating cost statements for 2023 in these weeks.
This also includes the annual financial statements for heating costs.
(Symbolic image) © Roman Möbius/Imago
Check meter readings
It is always worth checking the meter readings, “because sometimes there are transmission errors,” according to the Bavarian Consumer Service.
“For example, for heating oil, the remaining amount from the previous year's invoice must be entered as the initial amount of this year's invoice.” For heat meters, hot and cold water meters, the consumption is formed from the difference between the new and old meter readings.
“That’s why it’s always advisable to keep the old bills in order to be able to make this comparison.” Which points should you also check in the utility bill?
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What is meant by consumption-based heating billing?
While the so-called cold operating costs of an operating cost bill - such as insurance and caretaker - are usually allocated according to square meters, the heating and hot water costs are to be allocated depending on consumption - "at least in part", as the Bavarian Consumer Service describes.
But how much of the energy consumed by the entire house goes into hot water production and how much goes into heating?
This separation is done using a mathematical formula that takes into account the house's hot water consumption, as the experts explain.
After this separation, both the hot water and heating costs would be divided into a consumption-dependent and a non-consumption-dependent part.
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The distribution key determines how energy costs are allocated to the individual residential units, as the consumer advice center also informs in an article.
“You can usually find the agreed allocation key in your rental agreement,” it says.
“Billing by square meter may only account for a maximum of 50 percent (minimum 30 percent) of the total heating costs.
Your consumption costs can amount to 50 to 70 percent.”
When it comes to heating costs, the consumption-dependent part is billed according to units, according to the Consumer Service Bavaria, “these can be the MWh recorded by the heat meter, but also the units read from the heat cost allocators attached to the radiators”.
When it comes to hot water costs, the consumption-dependent part is determined based on the amount of hot water used (m³).
By when does the tenant have to receive the utility bill?
Landlords have twelve months after the end of the billing period to prepare the operating cost statement.
The calendar year from January to December is often considered the billing period.
If landlords have allowed the applicable deadline to pass, they can only demand any additional payments from tenants if they were not responsible for the delay themselves, the German Press Agency reported on the topic (as of January 11, 2024).
However, they would still have to reimburse the tenants for any contributions that may have been paid too much.