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MONEY

Gas bills to double for millions of German households

German households are bracing for bigger-than-usual bills this winter as energy companies pass on the cost of gas, which has soared since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

A person turns down the radiator in Germany. Gas bills are set to rise significantly.
A person turns down the radiator in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marcus Brandt

The invoice for a typical household could double from October 1st, German group RheinEnergie warned in a statement on Monday, the first major provider to give a detailed estimate.

The company supplies approximately 2.5 million people with energy in the region around the city of Cologne, in western Germany.

“An increase of almost 450 percent in the procurement cost for natural gas” over the past year was behind the punishing increase, RheinEnergie said.

The “market deteriorated significantly again with the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine”, which further sent up the price, RheinEnergie said.

A two-person household, with an average gas consumption of 10,000 kilowatt-hours annually, would see their bill jump from around €960 a year ago to €2,002, the company said.

Germany has been highly reliant on supplies of Russian gas to meet its energy demands, but Moscow has slowly dwindled supplies since the start of the war.

The threat that Russia could cut deliveries completely has raised the possibility of shortages over the winter and brought Germany closer to
rationing supplies.

Officials in Berlin have mandated the filling of gas storage tankers before the winter and moved to allow under-pressure energy companies to pass on ballooning costs with a ‘surcharge’.

The step, which will come into force in the autumn, could add “a few hundred euros” to household bills, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has said.

That surcharge was however “not included” in the increase announced by RheinEnergie, the group said.

READ ALSO: How much extra will German households pay under new gas surcharge?

Member comments

  1. I think I totally miss read the article but Rhien Energie are doubling costs, and that doubling does not include the levy which will be added later? No one seems too bothered about it? I wish I had enough money to not be concerned about it.
    Oh, I looked at their website.
    Poor Rhein Energie they must be struggling, their profits have only gone from 2.01 Billion euroes to 2.12 billion euros. (Pre tax). Thats only an increase of 110 million Euros.
    (2020-2021).
    I can not wait until our tax money bails these guys out. But Joe bloggs down the street gets his gas and electric cut off because he choose food on Wednesday.

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MONEY

How German ministers want to protect online ticket purchases

Once a year, consumer rights ministers from Germany's federal and state governments gather for a joint conference. This year, improving online ticket sales and better data protection measures are on the agenda.

How German ministers want to protect online ticket purchases

North Rhine-Westphalia’s consumer protection minister Silke Gorißen (CDU) will present proposals for further consumer protections for online ticket sales at the consumer ministers conference (VMK) on Thursday and Friday. 

Gorißen is pushing to make online ticket sales more transparent and give consumers more rights to back out of purchases if they don’t have enough information. 

Under the proposals, consumers would receive more information before purchasing tickets, such as details on the number of tickets sold by each provider and the prices for different seat categories.

Currently, ticket prices are often only visible during the purchasing process. 

The ministers will also consider whether consumers should be granted a right of withdrawal when buying tickets online. 

READ ALSO: How Germany is making it easier for consumers to cancel contracts

“The process of buying tickets is becoming increasingly complex and confusing, often limited to very narrow time windows,” Gorißen told DPA ahead of the conference. “I expect providers to act more in the interest of consumers. The market power of large ticket portals should not result in unclear and non-transparent sales.”

More data protection online

According to DPA, Gorißen also wants users of telecomms services to be better protected when it comes to their personal data. 

NRW’s consumer minister believes providers of emails, chats, or telecommunications services should be required to put measures in place to detect malware that’s designed to steal personal information from users. This should be done at the EU level, Gorißen said. 

Moreover, Gorißen says there should be more information on online safety made available through a consumer hotline. 

“IT security responsibility should not solely depend on the digital competence of users,” the CDU culture minister explained. “Protection against cyberattacks must become a societal responsibility.”

READ ALSO: The German mobile companies with the best – and worst – coverage

The proposals are set to be voted on by consumer ministers on Friday. 

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