Consumer advocates about gas heating: “As a tenant you are in a weak position”

taz: Mr. Munder, the German gas storage facilities are more empty than ever before at this time of year. What does this mean for consumers in the coming winter?

Florian Munder: You have to assume that gas will become more expensive. It is already quite expensive on the world markets, although not comparable to the situation at the beginning of the Ukrainian war. We are now in a much better position: the gas supply is diversified, we get a lot of pipeline gas from Norway, we get LNG through our own LNG ports, which were newly built, but also from Belgium and the Netherlands.

taz: How long does it take for higher prices to reach consumers?

Munder: Many end customers do not yet feel the higher prices because the classic gas supply contract is structured in such a way that there is a price guarantee over the initial term of twelve months. It protects you. But if this price guarantee expires in winter, you may only get a new contract at significantly higher prices. So if you're already out of the initial term, it's best to look now for a new offer with a price guarantee over the winter. But the prices for new contracts are already noticeably higher than they were a year ago.

Heads the energy and construction team at the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations. Previously, he was a consultant responsible for the gas market, district heating and energy consumer rights.

taz: People who have gas heating or live in their own home with gas heating can do this. What about tenants for whom the landlord concludes the contracts?

Munder: That is actually the most common case. Over 50 percent of people in Germany live on rent and gas central heating is the most common type of heating. The landlords conclude the contracts for this. All you can do is seek conversation and hope for good will. As a tenant you are in a weak position here. There are certainly landlords who are cooperative here - but unfortunately there is no incentive for this.

taz: And if a new gas heater was installed three years ago, are you simply unlucky?

Munder: There is definitely a high risk that it will become significantly more expensive over the years. After all, when it comes to the bio-step - i.e. the proportion of biomethane that suppliers must add to fossil natural gas from 2028 - there are requirements that the additional costs must be partly borne by the landlords. This also applies to network fees, which will tend to rise with the energy transition.

taz: Are the foreseeable price increases homemade?

Munder: I wouldn't go that far now. But it's true that gas is still the most important source of energy for households. It is also widely used in industry. And the legal requirements for filling the storage facilities are currently not working.

Munder: First of all, less gas is being stored than in previous years because the classic price difference between summer and winter has decreased significantly. The utilities therefore have no incentive to store gas in the summer because then they cannot buy it cheaply and sell it at a high price in the winter. In addition, anyone who stores too little gas will not face any sanctions.

Munder: There is at least a plan for the coming year to create a national gas storage reserve. The draft law is not yet available. But if the project is passed in a timely manner, the federal government could cushion sharply rising market prices in the winter of 2027/28 by putting the gas on the market itself. Or secure supplies if there is a shortage.

taz: Do consumers have to worry about that?

Munder: No, private households belong to the particularly protected group. This means that before they get cold, industrial companies are more likely to be obliged to limit their consumption.

taz: What can or should anyone who lives in the property do?

Munder: If you live in your own home, you have a much better starting point because you can decide for yourself - or in consultation with the homeowners' association - about the type of heating. We currently still have an attractive funding framework, including a speed bonus. This means that the sooner I switch from fossil fuels to renewables, the more funding I will receive. Of course, the whole thing takes some time in advance and, above all, you should think carefully about when the switch would be best. This also depends on how old the existing heating system is. If you have an accident on a cold winter day and need a new solution quickly, then it probably won't be the cheapest.

taz: Is a heat pump the best solution for most gas switchers?

Munder: For most people it will be. But we recommend that you always seek advice from an independent energy consultant on this issue. In a densely built inner city district, a heat pump may not be possible, for example because there is a lack of space. In such cases, district heating works well. It is also being decarbonized step by step. But district heating has a big catch: it is a monopolized market. You become dependent on the respective provider and cannot switch, as with electricity or gas. This is why district heating is currently a fairly expensive heating technology on average. However, the prices differ significantly regionally.

taz: What use are completely different methods - such as an infrared heater that runs on electricity from the socket?

Munder: I would advise against that. Although these devices are quite cheap to purchase, they are even more expensive to operate than heating with gas. If you need to bridge a short-term outage, okay, but not in the long term.