Temperatures are mild, gas storage is full and prices are falling.
But consumers are expecting price increases in droves.
How does it work?
Berlin/Munich – The year 2022 was a record year.
Prices in particular reached record highs in many areas.
Take gas prices, for example, making heating an expensive treat for most consumers this winter.
Hopes are high that next year will be better.
But we will probably not return to the pre-crisis gas prices any time soon.
Gas price: “There is no end in sight to high energy prices”
Stefan Suttner, Managing Director of Energy at the comparison portal Check24, also makes this clear: “Consumers are paying more for heating this winter than ever before.
An end to high energy prices is not in sight for the time being.” The federal government's relief is intended to remedy this.
In addition to the gas price brake, the down payment for December 2022 will also be taken over by the state.
From September to December 2022, a model household that heated its terraced house with gas paid an average of 1110 euros - 68 percent more than in the same period last year.
The assumption of the down payment could therefore only cushion a fraction of the increased costs.
And even with the gas price brake, prices remain at a comparatively high level.
Gas prices on the stock exchange fall – consumers still pay a lot
However, the mild winter so far and the fact that the German gas storage facilities are quite full as a result are depressing the price on the gas exchange.
On Wednesday (January 4), the TTF futures contract for Dutch natural gas was temporarily trading at around 67 euros per megawatt hour.
This is the lowest price since February 2022, before the start of the Ukraine war.
But why do so many gas suppliers still increase their prices at the beginning of the year?
This is because they bought some of the gas on the spot market at higher prices when supplies from Russia suddenly stopped.
They are now passing this on to the end customers.
A major price adjustment for consumers should therefore not be pending again until 2024 - then hopefully with a price reduction.
(ph)
List of rubrics: © Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa/Symbolbild
