The government could now end the energy price brakes at the turn of the year and not just in April 2024 – because there is a lack of money according to the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling. Do households now have to expect significantly higher costs? Evaluations of tariff comparison portals show that the additional costs will be comparatively low. Calculated per year, a model household with a consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours would have to pay 26 euros more for natural gas and just one euro more for electricity, as the Verivox portal has calculated.
The prices for natural gas and electricity on the stock exchanges have already been significantly lower for several months than they were in 2022 or the beginning of 2023. Many consumers did not immediately appreciate this because suppliers buy long-term and do not pass on the low stock market prices directly. However, many companies have now reduced their prices for customers or are planning cheaper tariffs at the end of the year, which are often below the limits of the price caps.
According to the comparison portal Verivox, around 120 basic suppliers nationwide announced price reductions for gas and electricity in mid-November. Basic suppliers are the energy companies that have the most customers in a region.
Customers with older contracts should now switch to a new tariff if necessary. According to current Verivox calculations, anyone who still has a basic supply tariff will have to spend 82 euros more for gas and five euros more for electricity next year if the price brakes are ended three months earlier.
However, the federal government also wants to increase the VAT on natural gas again from March 2024, which it had temporarily reduced to support consumers. The comparison portal Check24 has calculated that this results in additional expenditure of 224 euros for a sample household over the year.