In the coming year, the share of taxes and levies in the electricity price in Germany will increase again - to around 50 per cent. Stadtwerke Gießen, like presumably most energy supply companies, will not be able to cushion the considerable increase.
Around half of the electricity price is now based on legally regulated levies, surcharges and taxes, and some of these levies will rise sharply again from 1 January 2013. First and foremost is the EEG levy, which will increase by 1.685 cents net per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 5.277 cents net per kWh. Energy supply companies such as Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) are under pressure from the increase in the EEG levy and other levies when setting prices. From 1 January 2013, SWG customers will therefore have to pay a net 2.90 cents more than before. In addition, the basic prices will increase by €4.00 net per year.
SWG has been able to reduce its procurement costs slightly compared to 2012 and is passing this reduction on to customers in full. For households in the basic supply, this still means additional costs including VAT of €91.01 compared to 2012 for a consumption of 2,500 kWh.
"Thanks to market developments and good purchasing, we would be able to reduce the price per kWh if taxes, levies and surcharges were not raised so sharply. Instead of reducing, we can therefore only mitigate the increase," explains SWG CEO Manfred Siekmann. The two SWG representatives present at yesterday's press conference, Manfred Siekmann and company spokesperson Ina Weller, consider the promotion of electricity from renewable sources to be fundamentally correct and a functioning instrument with a positive effect. After all, it has contributed significantly to the fact that renewable energies now cover around a quarter of the electricity demand in this country. On the other hand, it is becoming increasingly noticeable on the energy bill for every electricity customer.
Not only the EEG surcharge has an impact
In addition to the EEG levy, the levy under the Combined Heat and Power Act and the levy under Section 19 of the Electricity Grid Charges Ordinance will also increase in the coming year. The latter serves to finance the exemption from grid charges for electricity-intensive industry in Germany. In addition, the grid utilisation fees in the area of the SWG subsidiary Mittelhessen Netz GmbH (MIT.N) will also increase significantly in 2013. The reason for this is that distribution grid operators in the regions such as MIT.N have to invest more in new lines and modernising the grid due to the strong expansion of renewable energies.
SWG helps to save electricity
"We won't leave our customers to deal with the higher prices on their own," promises Ina Weller. SWG therefore offers free energy-saving advice. Because with the right tips, household consumption can be reduced by many kWh. Manfred Siekmann explains: "What the Federal Minister for the Environment is now demanding of all energy suppliers against the backdrop of rising electricity prices is something we have been practising for decades."
SWG's energy consultants are available to answer questions Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. by telephone on 0641 708-1177 or on site at the SWG customer centre on Marktplatz. Information on saving energy is also available around the clock on the SWG website www.energiessen.de.