Electricity suddenly 77 percent more expensive: price shock for customers of municipal suppliers
Created: 03/18/2022, 18:27
By: Josef Ametsbichler
With so-called community power plants like this open-space photovoltaic system in Markt Schwaben, the Eberwerk wants to become more independent of the electricity market.
© was created in October 2021 at the inauguration.
Photo: KN
Customers at the municipal electricity provider Eberwerk, based in the Ebersberg district, have to accept a price jump of 24 cents/kWh.
Anyone who quits will face a new problem.
District
– Unpleasant mail from the electricity supplier is currently fluttering into the home of many consumers.
Rising electricity prices have received an additional boost from the Ukraine war.
Customers at Eberwerk, the regional energy supplier and network operator in the Ebersberg district in municipal hands, are hit hard.
There, the price jump for private customers is 24 cents per kilowatt hour: from 31 to 55 cents for the working price, makes 77 percent more.
For existing customers, this will take effect from May 1st.
Eberwerk Managing Director Stefan Henle speaks of "an unprecedented situation on the energy markets with extreme price jumps".
Supply contracts with suppliers in the Ebersberg district affected by EEG and market fluctuations
Reason for termination for an Eberstrom customer who wants to remain anonymous.
"The local provider is taken off the market because of its stability and independence," she writes to the editors.
"He produces himself in contrast to the alternative suppliers who only buy."
Unfortunately, it is not that easy, according to the Eberwerk when asked by EZ: “The price of the supply contracts with our local producers is strongly based on the electricity market.” With rising market prices, less EEG funding from the federal government goes to photovoltaics and biogas plants and the wind power plant in the district.
There buy the Eberwerk.
It refers to online comparison portals that show new customer tariffs of 45 to 60 cents per kWh.
District of Ebersberg: Eberwerk wants to become more independent of the electricity market in the long term
"In the long term, supply contracts are conceivable with our local producers, who are less oriented towards the electricity market when it comes to pricing," says the Eberwerk.
Work is being done to become more independent locally with renewable energies, for example with the open-space PV system in Markt Schwaben and planned projects in Ebersberg, Grafing and Steinhöring as well as around 150 rooftop PV systems per year.
The high volatility of prices may require several price adjustments in both directions in the near future.
Markus Henle, Eberwerk Managing Director
For the time being, the Eberwerk must continue to orientate itself towards the electricity market – both upwards and downwards.
"The great volatility of prices may mean that several price adjustments will be necessary in both directions in the near future," writes Managing Director Henle.
"Of course, we will pass this on to our customers immediately if prices stabilize at a lower level." A "more comprehensive price reduction" is already hoped for on July 1st.
Then the planned abolition of the EEG surcharge should also give customers 4.4 cents/kWh relief.
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Eberwerk has to raise prices: Cities and communities in the Ebersberg district are also affected
Incidentally, many of the 19 shareholder municipalities of the Eberwerk get their electricity from the energy supplier that they own - while the Eberwerk's share of the private customer market is, according to their own statements, "not of great importance".
"We are hit by the price increase," says Markt Schwaben's Mayor Michael Stolze (independent).
He is currently chairman of the supervisory board at Eberwerk and says about the 24-cent leap: "Of course that's understandable - it will be different again."
A connection with financial worries of the Eberwerk because of nationwide falling equity interest for network operators does not exist, assure the managing director and the chairman of the supervisory board in unison.
In January, the Eberwerk feared “negative consequences for the progress of the energy transition in the district” in an open letter to the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs.
“Well positioned” is how Stolze now describes the energy supplier.
Grafing: Electricity supplier can maintain the price for existing customers - expensive entry for new customers
The Grafing-based energy supplier Rothmoser is sticking to its announcement made at the beginning of the year to EZ to keep the prices for existing customers at 28 cents/kWh.
"We don't see the need," says managing director Florian Rothmoser about higher prices - only in the middle of the year will thoughts be given if the market environment continues to be difficult.
One is covered in the long term in order to be able to fulfill the forecast decrease.
But you have to buy more on the market, which is why new customers currently have to transfer 52 cents/kWh to Grafing.
High prices for new customers, that's the norm at the moment.
For the customer mentioned at the beginning, who wants to use her special right of termination at Eberwerk because of the price increase, this makes the search for a new provider difficult.
She now wants to stay in the basic current and says: "That's the cheapest thing I can get.
Saving tip basic electricity?
Anyone who does not have a contract with an electricity provider, for example because they are terminating the existing one, falls under the basic power supply.
This is usually more expensive, and the provider is also fixed, and there are no eco tariffs.
Because of the current price jumps, the basic electricity from E.ON, the mandatory provider for the district of Ebersberg, is currently cheaper than the new customer prices on the market - E.ON shows a gross energy price of 30.21 ct/kWh on its homepage, plus an annual price from 137.79 euros.
(Eberwerk: 131.40 euros/year).
"A situation that has never existed before," says an E.ON spokesman for EZ.
Even if this will not last forever and E.ON reassess the situation every day, no price increase is planned for the time being.
You have calculated and bought in the long term.
According to the Federal Network Agency, basic electricity customers have six weeks in advance if there is an increase;
Notice period: 14 days.
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You can read more news from the Ebersberg region here.
By the way: everything from the region is also available in our regular Ebersberg newsletter.