Heidelberg. The price differences in the electricity and gas tariffs are greater than ever. The difference between the basic supply tariffs of the local suppliers and the cheapest offers for new customers is currently 760 euros for electricity for a model household. The price difference for natural gas is even 1,391 euros. The price differences are thus well above the long-term average – even if the temporary price brakes are taken into account. For the analysis, the comparison portal Verivox evaluated energy price data from the last 10 years.
Electricity tariffs from local suppliers are significantly more expensive
Currently, the electricity costs for a three-person household with an annual consumption of 4,000 kWh in the local basic supply tariff are on average nationwide at 1,960 euros.
Around 80 percent of the basic supply tariffs have a kilowatt hour price that is above the cap of the electricity price brake of 40 cents/kWh. If the state subsidies from the electricity price brake are included, the average total costs in the local basic supply tariff with constant consumption are around 1,762 euros.
In the cheapest available offer for new customers with recommended conditions, the total costs for 4,000 kWh are currently 1,200 euros. This corresponds to an average price difference to the local basic service tariff of 760 euros (without price brake) or 562 euros (with price brake). On a long-term average, the average potential savings between the basic service tariff and the cheapest tariff for new customers is around 350 euros.
Huge price differences between gas tariffs
This development is even clearer in the case of gas: A household in a single-family house in the local basic supply tariff with an annual consumption of 20,000 kWh currently has calculated total costs of 3,238 euros on average nationwide.
90 percent of the basic supply tariffs for natural gas show a kilowatt-hour price that is above the cap of 12 cents/kWh under the gas price brake. If the state support is taken into account with constant consumption, the average gas costs in the basic supply tariff are around 2,670 euros.
In the cheapest available gas tariff with recommendable conditions for new customers, the same amount of gas currently costs 1,847 euros. The price difference to the local basic service tariff would thus be 1,391 euros without price brakes. But even with the price brake, the saving is still 823 euros.
The long-term average price difference between the local basic gas supply and the cheapest new customer offer is 540 euros.
“Local suppliers usually have a long-term procurement strategy. Many of the companies are still struggling with the record wholesale prices that were due in 2022. In addition, government support in the form of price brakes is dampening the price pressure,” says Thorsten Storck, energy expert at Verivox .
“The large price differences are a clear sign that lower procurement costs for national new customer offers are passed on to households more quickly. We therefore recommend comparing the current tariffs. It is possible to change from the local basic service tariff at any time, and the new provider will take care of the termination. “
methodology
Verivox has evaluated the published gas and electricity prices for existing customers of around 700 local basic gas suppliers and around 800 local basic electricity suppliers in Germany and compared them with the cheapest available offers with recommended conditions.