Gas surcharge: Do gas customers benefit from a loophole in the contract?
Created: 08/29/2022, 16:37
By: Stella Henrich
In order to save the gas importers, customers should pay the gas surcharge from October 1st.
A loophole in the contract could now help some citizens.
Munich - No, the federal government apparently does not want to distribute the money for the gas levy with the watering can.
Mistakes of the past would be corrected, promises Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck.
The group of authorized companies should be reduced as much as possible, the
Welt.de
reported first .
Basically, the claim also exists for companies that are not in existential need.
One would now take a closer look at this in order to ward off this claim, according to Habeck.
According to the minister's plan, the money for the gas surcharge is to be paid solely by the customers of the gas companies from October.
The surcharge of a good 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour is intended to relieve companies that have to buy expensive gas elsewhere to fulfill their contracts because of the reduced deliveries from Russia.
The resulting additional costs are to be reimbursed to 90 percent of the companies from October.
This is intended to prevent company bankruptcies and ultimately delivery failures.
Gas surcharge: Claims amount to around 34 billion euros
Twelve companies have registered a claim to money from the levy.
The claims total around 34 billion euros.
However, there are also companies on the list that are not currently in financial difficulties, according to the minister “earned a lot of money” and still want to benefit from the levy.
The gas levy affects almost 50 percent of households in Germany.
(Iconic image) © Christian Ohde/imago
This watering can principle not only causes resentment among the traffic light coalition, but also among local gas customers.
And that's almost half of the consumers in Germany who will clearly feel the cost of the gas levy on their bill from the energy supplier by November at the latest.
Additional costs due to the gas surcharge:
Single household (5,000 kWh gas per year): EUR 143.90 additional costs per year
Couple household (12,000 kWh gas per year): 345.40 euros additional costs per year
Detached house (20,000 kWh gas per year): 575.70 euros additional costs per year
As the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center calculates, a family with a consumption of 20,000 kWh per year will also “pay a gross annual contribution of 520 euros”.
A single person in a 50 square meter apartment has to reckon with an increase of around 150 euros, as the comparison
portal Check24.de
reports.
Employees must first earn these amounts net.
No alternative, right?
Or consumers turn down their spray guns, turn down the gas heating, dress warmly at home and run around the apartment to avoid freezing.
There are now many good suggestions for saving gas.
Gas Surcharge: Protection for customers with price guarantee contracts
It is already clear that many households will not be able to afford the gas surcharge.
Above all, low earners and consumers who have to spend every penny anyway and cannot put any money aside for the levy.
You're slipping into financial difficulties.
Need to ask the job center for help.
Up to this point, it has still not been clarified how contracts that have already been concluded that have a price guarantee or a fixed price guarantee actually stand.
These contracts actually protect consumers from the agreed gas surcharge.
The consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia apparently sees this as a loophole for gas customers.
It is therefore quite possible that customers with such contracts will be spared the gas surcharge.
According to the consumer advice center in North Rhine-Westphalia, the Federal Ministry of Economics is still examining this question.
So Robert Habeck still has a lot of homework to do in order to correct his mistakes in the gas surcharge.
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