At the Consumer Advice Center of North Rhine-Westphalia, as at all similar organizations in Germany, requests for help with energy prices have exploded in recent months.
“The majority of people who call are simply not able to pay their bills,” says Kolja Ofenhammer, counselor at the centre. Many people are experiencing power outages. »
In the middle of winter, that can mean shivering in your apartment. Mr. Ofenhammer’s team accompanies them in their attempt to obtain loans, payment options or a more advantageous supplier.
Mr Ofenhammer expects the situation to continue to worsen in 2023 as consumers receive their annual electricity and gas bills. In the dock is soaring natural gas prices, with which around half of German households heat their homes.
“Eight times more expensive”
Households have suffered a price increase of around 20% between 2020 and 2021, according to figures from BDEW, the German energy and water industry organisation.
“During the second half of 2021, we saw the price of gas climbing on the stock markets,” says Thomas Engelke, energy expert for the Federation of Consumer Organizations in Germany. This alarmed us because we knew that these high prices would reach consumers. »
During the first half of 2022, prices more than doubled on average, then almost tripled during the second half of this year compared to 2021. In some cases, consumers are paying eight times more than before , notes Mr. Engelke. It was at the same time, in the context of the war in Ukraine and European sanctions, that natural gas from Russia gradually stopped reaching Germany. Electricity, for its part, is today on average 50% more expensive for households and 100% higher for businesses than in 2021.
Aid and energy transition
According to the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry, this energy crisis threatens the existence of companies in all economic sectors. Many workers are worried about their jobs, according to the major trade union federation DGB.
To support its citizens and its industries, the government has just imposed a ceiling on the prices that energy suppliers can charge their customers, paying the difference. Despite this, prices remain much higher than before.
In response, the Germans systematically lowered the temperature in homes and offices by a few degrees. “People wear warmer clothes at home,” says Engelke. Some premises of my employer have been closed and we have started to share our offices with other colleagues to save energy. »
Through various measures, households and businesses have significantly reduced their use of natural gas. For example, their consumption last week was 26.3% lower than the average consumption for the years 2018 to 2021, according to the Federal Network Agency.
This difficult context is pushing Germany to accelerate its energy transition to get rid of its dependence on fossil fuels, believes Mr. Engelke. Among the medium and long-term solutions put forward: replacing heating systems so that they run on renewable energy, insulating buildings to make them energy efficient and producing more green electricity. On a visit to Europe’s largest economy, The duty found that a sense of urgency drives many citizens, entrepreneurs and elected officials.
This report was financed thanks to the support of the Transat International Journalism Fund.The duty.