The levies decided by politicians will cause gas prices to rise from October 2022. In the basic supply, the higher procurement costs will also be reflected in the final price.
From October, the consequences of the war in Ukraine will be felt even more clearly in Germany. Here in the region too. In order to avert the impending gas shortage and support systemically important natural gas traders such as Uniper, the German government has introduced new levies that will apply from October. Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) is obliged to pass these levies on to its natural gas customers. Strictly speaking, there are three individual components: The gas storage levy passed in April compensates for the additional costs incurred to fill the German gas storage facilities despite high procurement prices. On 4 August, the cabinet approved the gas procurement levy by written circulation procedure, which is intended to compensate for the extremely increased costs of gas importers. The gas balancing levy has been in place for some time. It covers the expected shortfall from the use of control and balancing energy.
What does this mean for the gas price?
SWG procures the natural gas required for its customers in the basic supply in instalments. As a result, they currently have to purchase additional quantities at significantly higher costs at relatively short notice. In addition to the various levies, this is also reflected in the prices of the basic supply. Here, the labour price increases by 6.91 cents per kilowatt hour (ct/kWh). The heating 1, heating 2 and heating 3 tariffs, which are graduated according to consumption, will therefore be 19.17 ct/kWh, 18.56 ct/kWh and 18.36 ct/kWh respectively. In future, the "small consumption" tariff will be 22.06 ct/kWh and the "basic price" tariff will be 19.36 ct/kWh. The respective basic prices will remain unchanged. "We didn't take the decision lightly. But the situation is what it is. And I fear that we will all have to prepare for further price increases," summarises Jens Schmidt, Commercial Director of SWG. Important to know: Even after the price increase, SWG is in a good position compared to the rest of the industry. "This fact makes it clear that the current exceptional situation is affecting all companies that trade in natural gas," summarises Jens Schmidt.
For customers who have opted for the Thermo Fix tariff, there will also be an upward adjustment to the labour price due to the new levies. Compared to the basic supply, however, this will be more moderate. This is because the massive increase in procurement conditions on the energy exchange have not yet had an impact on this tariff model. "We procured the necessary quantity of gas for the Thermo Fix months ago at the conditions applicable at the time. And that ensures that the prices here only rise by the state levies," explains Jens Schmidt.
SWG will inform all customers of the exact amount of the new prices in an individual letter. Anyone who has concluded a Thermo-Fix contract will receive this letter in the next few weeks. The following applies to both price adjustments: The amounts stated include VAT. If the German government reduces the VAT rate, SWG will of course automatically pass this benefit on to its customers.
Save, save, save
The only option to offset the currently rising costs, at least to some extent, is to save natural gas wherever possible. "Take advantage of our expertise," Jens Schmidt urges all customers. The energy experts from Lahnstrasse make this available in various forms and formats. For example, in the "Energy knowledge on Tuesday" lecture series, with lots of clever tips on the website www.stadtwerke-giessen.de or, of course, in a personal consultation. Appointments can be conveniently arranged online: www.stadtwerke-giessen.de/online-termin