As of: February 24, 2024, 4:59 a.m
By: Cefina Gomez
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Press
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Pensioner Gerda Ahrendt recently received shocking news: Because of rising energy prices, the pensioner has to make a huge additional payment.
Gommern – Inflation, price increases and rising energy prices: Many people are already having problems paying the high additional operating costs.
That's why most people are very reluctant to receive mail at the moment.
While a pensioner from the Baltic Sea was recently shocked by an additional payment of 464 euros, the pensioner from Gommern in Saxony-Anhalt was hit particularly hard.
Gerda Ahrendt is supposed to pay a total of 8,026.52 euros.
An 80-year-old pensioner has to pay additional costs of 8,000 euros.
© Jonas Walzberg/dpa
Cost shock: The pensioner would never have expected such a high additional payment
According to an article in
Bild
, Ahrendt has been living alone in a 59 square meter new apartment since her husband died last year.
The pensioner lives in modest circumstances, with an open kitchen, a bedroom, a living room and a small bathroom.
With her pension of just 800 euros, the former educator has to spend every cent twice and tries to save as much energy as possible.
The pensioner pulls out all the stops: she doesn't shower every day and only has the heating on three.
Despite all efforts to keep the additional payment as low as possible, she received a hefty bill for 2022.
“The letter from the property management was a shock.
I have to pay around 6,000 euros for heating, almost 2,000 euros for water, the rest are caretaker costs, garbage and elevator,” says Ahrendt.
However, all tenants should keep an eye on the date of the utility bill.
There is a deadline that may allow you to save yourself the additional payment.
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How shall we continue?
The 80-year-old pensioner's rent is to be increased almost threefold
Ahrendt is now faced with an economic dilemma: the additional costs amount to 13 euros per square meter, which is more than double her basic rent.
And now this is due to increase from 515 euros per month to 1,403.23 euros due to the high additional payment.
What sounds like a mistake is unfortunately a bitter reality.
Many other residents in the house are also affected.
According to Bild,
a tenant with a severe disability should
pay around 3,400 euros for his 22 square meter apartment, another around 3,700 euros for 37 square meters.
Ahrendt is determined to take action against this and has already lodged an objection.
There has been no reaction yet, but one thing is clear to the pensioner: “I won’t pay that.
Then I’d rather go to jail and have a warm cell.”
Rising energy costs and high additional payments: The big problem with district heating
District heating actually has a reputation for being cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but in practice it can look completely different.
According to the
consumer advice center
, changing suppliers for district heating is not possible because only one company is responsible for planning and operation, which is why such companies often have a monopoly position.
District heating contracts are therefore often concluded for many years, especially if a supplier is more expensive than average, which could be fatal for some consumers.
The consumer advice center plans to carry out regular market observations from 2024 and publish these developments so that the district heating market becomes more transparent.
After massive price increases were discovered in November 2022, the headquarters even filed two class action lawsuits against district heating providers E.ON and Hansewerk.
According to the Federal Constitutional Court's ruling, the energy price brake will not be extended in March.
Consumers must be prepared for electricity and heating to become even more expensive.
(cg)