The days of soaring heating bills are over for now. Prices are likely to continue to fall this year. Experts still believe that saving money makes sense.
According to a recent forecast, heating will become cheaper again in Germany. This year, for example, the costs of heating with gas are expected to be around a quarter lower than last year, according to the heating index of the non-profit consulting company CO2online. The advice is supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics, among others. Heating with a heat pump is expected to fall by 18 percent this year.
One exception is district heating: here, experts expect costs to be around 21 percent higher. Possible reasons for this are non-transparent prices and inadequate regulation of the market, according to the consulting company.
Heating costs fell sharply as early as 2023
Heating costs have already fallen significantly on average in the past year: an average household in a 70-square-metre apartment had to pay around a tenth less for heating with gas, at 1,330 euros, than in the previous year. The decline in heating costs for heat pumps was even greater, at 28 percent. District heating, on the other hand, will also become more expensive in 2023 – by eight percent.
Last year, government price caps, which limited end-consumer prices, were noticeable. In addition, the market had already relaxed after the energy crisis in 2022. Energy consumption, on the other hand, had hardly fallen, it was said.
“Many households continue to underestimate their energy consumption and the potential for savings,” says CO2online managing director Tanja Loitz, according to a statement. 90 percent of all households could save heating costs by changing their heating behavior and modernizing their homes – in an average household, up to 1,095 euros per year, according to the consultant.
Source: Stern
