Energy supply is comparatively expensive in Germany, so it is not surprising that hundreds of thousands of households in this country have their electricity turned off every year. But when are providers allowed to block supply?
Households are without electricity
From now on the household is without hot water and without electricity. Food can no longer be stored in a cool place and, given the cold season, it can no longer be heated either. However, there was a notable decrease in supply interruptions in the low and medium voltage networks in Germany in 2022, as reported by the Federal Network Agency. A total of 855 network operators reported 157,245 such interruptions, representing a significant decrease of 9,370 cases compared to the previous year. This positive development is also visible in the calculation of the SAIDIEnWG (System Average Interruption Duration Index): The average unavailability of electricity was only 12.2 minutes per final consumer, a slight decrease compared to the previous year’s value of 12.7 minutes, it continues is called.
Interruptions can occur from time to time, but the question still remains as to when the energy provider can ultimately cut off electricity to the consumer.
Late payment of more than 100 euros
In Germany, energy suppliers are entitled to interrupt the power supply under certain conditions. Such a measure is legitimate if the consumer’s arrears exceed either twice an agreed monthly installment or advance payment, or, if no such agreement exists, at least one sixth of the total annual bill. In any case, the amount must be at least 100 euros, as the consumer advice center reports in an online article. However, an interruption is not permitted if the consumer fails to make a payment within two weeks due to an obvious error.
Before an interruption occurs, the supplier is obliged to threaten this four weeks in advance and to announce it in writing eight working days before it is carried out, the consumer advice center continues. In addition, the consumer must be in arrears with at least two outstanding installment payments, with the total arrears amounting to at least 100 euros. The decision to block must be proportionate, meaning that there is no prospect of the consumer meeting his payment obligations, it says. The supplier is also obliged to inform the consumer in writing about ways to avoid an interruption and to propose an avoidance agreement that is economically viable for both parties.
With regard to special regulations, such as those that applied during the corona pandemic, there are currently no comparable provisions in the context of the energy price crisis. Nevertheless, consumer advice centers recommend proactively speaking to the utility company if you have payment difficulties in order to find common solutions such as installment payments or deferrals. Ignoring payment reminders or reminders is expressly discouraged, as it concludes. But how high are the current electricity prices in an EU comparison?
Electricity prices continue to rise
In a current analysis of European electricity costs, Germany is characterized above all by high numbers: in the first half of 2023, German households paid an average of 42.29 cents per kilowatt hour – an increase of 21 percent compared to the second half of 2022, as the Federal Statistical Office said in an article reported. Natural gas prices, on the other hand, averaged 12.26 cents per kilowatt hour for German private households, an increase of 31.3 percent compared to the second half of 2022. This development reflects a general trend towards higher electricity prices that extends across all cost components. The main reasons for this development were increased procurement costs, higher network fees and the increasing burden of state taxes and levies, as it goes on to say. Gas prices also continued to rise, partly due to the global energy market situation, compounded by geopolitical tensions.
Eurostat, on the other hand, reports that German private households paid 41.25 cents per kilowatt hour in the first half of 2023 with an annual consumption of 2,500 to 5,000 kilowatt hours, making it the fourth most expensive country in a European comparison. This results in a multi-faceted picture of electricity prices in the European context. Higher prices were only recorded in the Netherlands (47.50 cents), Belgium (43.50 cents) and Romania (41.99 cents). The lowest electricity prices in this consumption category were found in Bulgaria (11.37 cents), Hungary (11.61 cents) and Malta (12.56 cents), as Eurostat also reports. The average price in the EU was 28.90 cents per kilowatt hour.
Even more recent data shows that in November 2023 Italy in particular (147.99 euros/MWh) is the leader in terms of electricity costs in Europe, followed by Switzerland with 139.97 euros/MWh and Ireland with 126.49 euros/MWh, as EnergieMarie reports in an article. While these countries experienced the highest prices, consumers in Spain and Portugal benefited from the lowest. With its electricity prices, Germany positioned itself in the middle of this European ranking, as it concludes.
D. Maier / editorial team finanzen.net