The energy crisis is meanwhile also being felt by consumers.
Now the tenants' association and consumer protection are warning of horrific ancillary costs and calling on the government to act.
Berlin / Düsseldorf - In view of the record high energy prices, the tenants' association and consumer advocates have called for rapid relief, especially for low-income households.
"Without countermeasures by the new government, there is a risk of ancillary costs explosion," warned the German Tenants' Association and the Federal Association of Consumers (vzbv).
The owners' association Haus & Grund demanded a reduction in taxes on gas.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe warned that the price hikes should be countered with a consistent focus on climate protection.
Energy crisis: utilities are raising their prices
Consumers across Europe are currently confronted with ever increasing gas and electricity prices.
On the one hand, global demand is currently increasing, and on the other hand, storage facilities in Europe are below average.
According to the government, there is no threat of a supply bottleneck, but more and more suppliers are increasing their prices.
"Tenants suffer from the highest electricity prices in Europe, the current price hikes on the oil and gas market and the full CO2 price allocation for heating and hot water," complained Mieterbund and vzbv.
The new government must “set the pace with the expansion of renewable energies”, warned vzbv board member Klaus Müller.
The current dependence on fossil energies is problematic - the proportion of renewables in the heating sector is "far too low" at 15 percent.
Associations call for tax cuts
Above all, the associations called for lower electricity prices.
The next federal government must remove industry exemptions or finance them through taxes, reduce the electricity tax to the EU minimum and refund income from the pricing of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Electricity and gas locks for households that cannot pay their bills should be prevented.
The allocation of the CO2 costs to the tenants must also decrease and the housing allowance increase.
Haus & Grund demanded that CO2 pricing be completely suspended for the next six months - i.e. the heating period.
In addition, taxes on gas would have to be reduced by 50 percent.
"Now is not the hour to fill the state treasury with taxes, now is the hour to help people through the winter," said association president Kai Warnecke.
The good news: EEG surcharge should decrease
The environmental aid joined the demands for a lowering of the electricity tax and also called for a consistent expansion of renewables.
She also called for a reduction in the EEG surcharge from the income from CO2 pricing.
The amount of the levy to finance the expansion of renewable energies for 2022 is to be announced on Friday.
It is currently 6.5 cents per kilowatt hour and, according to Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (CDU), could drop by two cents.
The EU Commission presented recommendations to the member states on Wednesday on how to reduce the burden on consumers.
She suggested, for example, vouchers for low-income households or targeted tax cuts.
In addition, renewable energies would have to be expanded and storage capacities strengthened.
(AFP / ph)
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