Energy: Associations: Relief does not depend on all power customers

Consumer advocates warn that not all households benefit from the planned relief of the federal government in electricity costs. “Depending on the region, electricity costs will hardly be received by some consumers,” said Ramona Pop, director of the Consumer Center Association. From the perspective of the Stadtwerkeverband VKU, medium -sized companies and private households threaten to go empty in many regions.

In 2026, a federal grant of 6.5 billion euros is planned to finance the transfer network costs. In this way, the cost loading of power customers should be steamed from the network charges, it was said from circles of the Federal Ministry of Economics. It brought a corresponding draft law into the government -internal vote.

The network charges as part of the electricity price, which include the expensive expansion of the power grids, have increased significantly. The fees are incurred for the use of the electricity transmission network. They are then switched to consumers by the energy suppliers. However, there are large regional differences. This mainly depends on how the status of the expansion of renewable energies in the region is.

According to calculations by the comparison portal Verivox, the federal grant drops the electricity price for households on a national average by around 1.6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). A three-person household with an annual consumption of 4,000 kWh saves around 64 euros-however, the discharge of electricity prices via the transmission network charges do not apply everywhere in Germany.

“Because network areas in which a lot of electricity is generated are less dependent on the transmission network charges. Accordingly, there would be less of the relief than in network areas, in which there is lower generation of electricity,” said Verivox energy expert Thorsten Storck. And: The energy suppliers are not obliged to pass on the grant to the transmission network charges directly to households.

Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche (CDU) said a month ago by the German Press Agency with a view to the federal grant on the transfer network costs: “My clear expectation to the industry is: The relief must arrive at the customer.”

Associations propose others

VKU general managing director Ingbert Lieb was advised to have half of the grant of 6.5 billion euros flow into network-related levies, for example in the offshore network. “This is how everyone would be relieved: Large consumers in industry, medium -sized companies, schools and hospitals and private consumers. Half of a division ensures a fairer relief and can be implemented quickly and easily.”

The offshore network levy is another part of the electricity price. This levy is financed, among other things, costs from the network connection of wind farms on the high seas. Consumer advocates also asked the federal government to reduce electricity price levies. Then private households would benefit much more.