According to a survey, energy costs are more of a problem for people in East Germany than in West Germans. On average, east Germans have to spend a larger proportion of their income on electricity and gas bills, as shown by a data analysis by the comparison portal Check24, which is available to the Evangelisches Pressedienst (epd).
The “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” (RND/Saturday) reported about it first.
According to the data, a one-person household in eastern Germany has to spend an average of six percent of its income to consume 1,500 kilowatt hours of electricity and 5,000 kilowatt hours of gas. In West Germany, the average is 5.2 percent for the same amount.
The managing director of Check24 Energy, Steffen Suttner, justified the differences with the comparatively lower purchasing power in the eastern German states.
At the same time, “the energy costs in East Germany are also absolutely more expensive,” said Suttner. This is due, for example, to higher regional grid usage fees.
According to the analysis, consumers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania spend the largest share of their income on energy costs at 6.3 percent. In Saxony-Anhalt (6.2 percent) and Thuringia (6.1 percent), too, an above-average share is due for energy.
The people in Hamburg (4.9 percent) and Bavaria (4.8 percent) spent the lowest proportion of their income. Check24’s analysis is based on the comparison portal’s own calculations and data from the market research institute GfK. (epd)
