Gas levy: important deadline is over – that’s what the current letters from your suppliers mean

Created: 08/26/2022, 16:17

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

The gas surcharge is scheduled to come into force in October, but providers must inform those affected beforehand.

Then three more allocations come into play.

Berlin – As of October 1, the time has come: With the gas surcharge, consumers will face additional costs.

The surcharge is intended to benefit suppliers who have to buy replacement gas from Russia for the missing, cheaper gas at high prices.

Trading Hub Europe (THE) calculates the amount of the surcharge as a joint venture of the transmission system operators.

The company had put the levy at 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour last week.

Gas surcharge from October: Gas providers must provide information by August 26th

Gas providers can pass the levy on to consumers, but they don't have to.

However, in order to be able to introduce these to their customers on time from October 1st, they must announce the price adjustments at least six weeks in advance – i.e. by August 26th.

As a result, many gas consumers may receive an unwelcome letter informing them of price increases.

If you haven't received a letter, you shouldn't be too happy: the providers can also introduce the surcharge later - but at least the customers don't have to pay from October 1st.

This costs the balancing levy, conversion levy and gas storage levy

Also new: If you have received a letter from your gas supplier, you will see that not only the gas surcharge but also three other surcharges will be due as a result of the price increases.

However, they are not as expensive as the gas levy.

Here is an overview:

The 

 increases to 0.57 cents per kilowatt hour (previously: zero cents).

It is intended to ensure the even utilization of the gas network. 

The 

 increases to 0.038 cents per kilowatt hour (previously: zero cents).

It is used to finance the conversion of gas. 

The 

 amounts to 0.059 cents per kilowatt hour (levied for the first time).

It is related to the filling level specifications for the German gas storage facilities and is intended to absorb the higher costs for storage.

For a four-person household with a living space of around 180 square meters and an annual consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours per year, the levies result in additional costs of around 660 euros, according to WDR calculations.

This includes the gas levy, value added tax and the balancing levy of around 115 euros, the gas storage levy of around eleven euros and the conversion levy of around seven euros.

These costs are then added to the increased gas prices.

Gas surcharge: Habeck warns against doing without – and further rising prices

Because of the additional costs for consumers, the gas levy is very controversial.

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has just announced that the levy will be reviewed, but he has warned against doing so.

The minister warned that without a gas levy, the impending collapse of energy suppliers would result in price jumps and distortions of a different order of magnitude.

Citizens could then be forced to go to the expensive basic gas supply.

Then they would probably only get gas “at spot market prices”, which would result in far higher price increases than the gas levy.

In general, Habeck spoke of gloomy prospects for the future.

"We are approaching a price jump in winter, which makes what we are discussing at the moment small," said the minister.

In this respect, the actual discussion must be "how do we balance the enormous price increases in such a way that society stays together" and that unity with Russia is maintained.