Gas costs in Germany have risen significantly

Many consumers in Germany had to heat more last winter than in the previous year – which is one of the reasons why costs have risen in many places. As the comparison portal Verivox reported on Tuesday, gas customers paid 23 percent more than in the previous year, while heating oil customers paid one percent more despite lower prices. Households heated around eleven percent more than in the very mild winter of the previous year.

According to the German Weather Service, the average temperature in winter 2024/2025 was 2.1 degrees Celsius, about two degrees below the previous year. Heating demand also increased due to periods of severe frost. At the same time, the return to the full VAT rate of 19 percent from April 2024 onwards had a significant impact on gas customers.

The average gas cost for a single-family home thus climbed from €1,515 to €1,858. "Although the record prices of the energy crisis years of 2022/2023 will no longer apply, the gas price level is still very high at just under twelve cents per kilowatt hour," explained Thorsten Storck, energy expert at Verivox.

Heating oil costs rose slightly from €1,534 to €1,554. At €95 per hectoliter, oil customers paid around €13 less than the previous winter, according to Verivox. However, the increased heat demand largely offset the lower prices.

APA/AFP