Electricity and gas are as cheap as they were a year and a half ago.
Despite this, many utilities are not lowering their tariffs.
Berlin/Heidelberg - Many energy suppliers have still not lowered their tariffs, even though electricity and gas are as cheap as they were a year and a half ago.
This is reported by the
Bild
newspaper, citing the comparison portal Verivox.
It is about a total of 3.3 billion euros.
The amount is due to the fact that the price brake for electricity and gas has been in effect since the beginning of the month.
This means that the prices for customers are capped at 40 cents per kilowatt hour (electricity) or 12 cents/kWh (gas).
If a supplier demands higher tariffs, the state – i.e. the taxpayers – assumes the costs.
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Despite energy price brakes, many tariffs are still very high.
© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
According to Verivox, 80 percent of the basic supplier tariffs are currently still above the price brakes: an average of 44.4 cents/kWh is due for electricity and 16.1 cents/kWh for gas.
As a result, the state has added an average of 457 euros for gas and 109 euros for electricity per household.
Particularly expensive basic suppliers are, for example, Stadtwerke München with a working price of 52 cents for electricity and 21 cents for gas, and Rheinenergie with a working price of 55 cents for electricity.
Stadtwerke Munich boss Florian Bieberbach recently commented on the price policy in an interview.
Criticism from the CDU and consumer advocates
Criticism comes from the CDU and consumer advocates.
Mark Helfrich (44), energy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said about the energy price brakes: “They suppress competition for cheap prices.
In the end, the supposed relief from energy prices comes back to the citizen like a boomerang in the form of high taxes.”
Thomas Engelke from the Federation of Consumer Organizations said about
the picture
: "3.3 billion euros is a hell of a lot of money for the state.
We expect the Federal Cartel Office to check providers and ban abuse.”
Additional gains would have to be excluded.
The companies are obliged to prove to the Federal Cartel Office that they have not made any additional profits.
List of rubrics: © Sebastian Gollnow/dpa
