Berlin.
With the electricity price brake, the traffic light government wants to help all consumers financially. One group in particular is greatly relieved.
The new year is here – and it also brings good news: since the new year, many electricity, gas and district heating customers have been paying less than the contract actually states. Until this relief by the price brakes arrives, but patience is required. Only with the discount in March do the providers pass on the discounts, retrospectively for January and February. The whole thing should work automatically, consumers don’t have to worry about anything.
But don’t rejoice too soon. As the Geld-Ratgeber Finanztip reports, they work for many people price brakes only a little. This is shown by the example of Electricity price brake. For 80 percent of the current annual consumption, the price per kilowatt hour (kWh) is capped at 40 cents.
Electricity price brake: sample calculation shows real savings
An example: The Schmidt family from Wuppertal has two children. You recently switched to the basic supplier, which charges relatively cheap 44 cents/kWh in Wuppertal. Since the Schmidts have always been very economical with electricity, they only need 2000 kWh. Without the price brake, your annual bill would be 890 euros. the Electricity price brake brings them a meager discount of 70 euros – not even six euros a month savings.
The opposite example: The Müller family from Munich, which is part of the basic electricity supply from the public utility company, benefits enormously from the price brake. Since the New Year, the public utilities there have been charging just under 62 cents/kWh. With their annual household electricity consumption 4000 kWh – twice as much as the Schmidt family – the family would have to pay almost 2500 euros without a price brake. Thanks to the electricity price brake, she can look forward to a discount of over 700 euros. Your monthly payment will drop by a good 58 euros.
The Müllers, with 4000 kWh of power consumption, have so far not exactly considered themselves bargain hunters proven. Also, they never bothered to look for a cheaper one electricity tariff than the – in this example – very expensive one primary care to search.
Current bargain hunters benefit less from the electricity price brake
So who has hardly been on his power consumption has respected and is also in an expensive electricity tariff, benefits the most from the electricity price brake. In the example of the Müller family, the relief amount is ten times higher than that of the frugal, price-conscious Schmidt family. A flop for the bargain hunters.
And a chance for those who have consumed a lot so far. After all, what will happen if electricity consumption is significantly reduced in 2023? Regardless of the price brake is then in the annual statement each saved kilowatt hour refunded at the full agreed price.
This means that anyone who saves 20 percent only pays the 40 cents of the electricity price brake for their entire electricity. If you save even more, you still get everything reimbursed at the expensive contract price, although in the monthly Advance payment – thanks to the price brake – de facto only 40 cents were due for this electricity.
Saving electricity in the coming year: It has this effect
The Finanztip calculation based on the Müllers from Munich shows how much is in it: If you save 20 percent this year, you will get almost 500 euros back, your annual bill will drop from 1775 euros to 1280 euros. If the Müllers halved their consumption and reduced it to the level of the Schmidts (2000 kWh), the reimbursement would be so high that only around 540 euros would be due per year. That corresponds to one monthly discount from 45 euros.
The electricity price brake leads to a curiosity here: because the Schmidts pay around 68 euros a month for the same consumption. The price brake rewards savings of more than 20 percent above average. In principle, the Schmidts could also benefit from this. Their problem: With their power consumption of 2000 kWh, they are already very economical – if they manage to save a further ten percent, they will already be among the most economical four-person households in Germany. After all, almost 90 euros refund would bring them that.
Despite the electricity price brake: That’s why it’s still worth comparing providers
The conclusion of Finanztip: save electricity It will definitely be worth it in 2023 – all the more so for those who have not been frugal before. Financially, but also from an environmental point of view. For gas and district heating the principle works basically the same way. Only there other price brakes apply: 12 cents/kWh for gas and 9.5 cents/kWh for district heating.
One question remains to be clarified: is it still worth looking at the price of the provider? Yes, because the price cap only applies to 80 percent of previous consumption. If you have little potential for savings, you will always have to pay part of what you need at the expensive contract price. So it is safest to continue driving who prices for electricity and gas compares
This article appears in cooperation with finanztip.de. The money guide for consumers is part of the Finanztip Foundation.
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