The federal government’s idea of capping the price of electricity and gas was well intentioned. But now it mainly benefits the providers who fill their pockets. It shows once again that the state should keep its hands off pricing – and rather ensure tough, fair competition.
The good news from the consumer portal Verivox sounds like it’s from another time: “New customer tariffs have fallen sharply: Households can save again by switching.” So electricity is getting cheaper again. For example, anyone who signs a new supply contract with the nationwide Duisburg municipal provider “Rheinpower” only has to pay just under 37 cents per kilowatt hour. With “Electricity Berlin” it’s only a good 32 cents (with a higher monthly fee) – that’s the pre-war level. And not entirely surprising. Because the wholesale prices for electricity have fallen by around two thirds within a month.