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Heating costs explode: two out of three apartments in Greifswald have been affected
Greifswald.The main landlords in Greifswald had already had to announce to their tenants twice that they would have to bear the increased additional costs. But what does this mean?
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Read more after the announcement
In the middle of last week, Housing and Management Corporation (WVG) took the first step. In a press release, the company, which operates 10,000 apartments in the Hanseatic city, said utility costs will continue to rise. This is especially true for homes that receive district heating from municipal utilities. In WVG itself, 8000 apartments were affected, in the Housing Cooperative (WGG) 5800. Municipal utilities as energy providers themselves speak for two-thirds of Greifswald homes that are provided with area heating.
The price of gas is to blame – gas customers can still save
Why do current cost explosions primarily affect area-heated customers? District heating in Greifswald is primarily generated by combined heat and power generation. Simply put, the process generates electricity and heat in parallel. You need fuel for this – in the case of Greifswald gas. However, since public utilities in this case do not buy gas to make it available to customers for heating, but to burn it themselves, different price rules apply.
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Read more after the announcement
Anyone who heats up with gas and has signed a contract with the municipal utility will have to save only for the next year. The contracts guarantee a stable price – at least for the year. According to the municipal interest, the price of district heating changes every three months. These fluctuations in cost are passed on to the tenants. it’s a problem. While the operating price for district heating was €49.16 per megawatt-hour (MWh) in the third quarter of 2021, starting on July 1, 2022 – one year later – municipal utilities will offer it at €180. An increase of 366 percent.
This is despite the fact that the utility company jumped into the loophole, they explain. In favor of customers, the contractually fixed-price clause has been deviated from the first three quarters of 2022. In this way, the district heating customer price increase is about 30 percent in the first three quarters. So the actual increase in heating costs is higher.
What does this mean for a utility bill?
Many people in Greifswald are now anxiously looking forward to November and December, when letters will arrive with utility bills. Even if this statement is for 2021, the owners don’t provide all the clarity. WVG states that: “District heating rates have already increased in 2021, particularly in the fourth quarter, so additional payment is likely to be more likely than credit.”
Similar tones are fired at the WGG: “Due to the higher district heating prices in the last quarter of 2021, significant additional payments have already been made. So, in addition to doubling the advance heating cost payments in the spring of 2022, we are once again adjusting the down payments based on costs. incurred in 2021.”
Higher additional payments can be avoided if tenants pay more per month. As early as February, the two big companies called for a doubling of the share of heating costs in rent. However, this will not be enough. Both owners unanimously declare that although the future is not clear and therefore further developments are difficult to estimate, it is assumed that there will be additional costs by a factor of 2.5. what does that mean? For example, anyone who previously had extra costs of €100 (without electricity) in addition to cold rent should expect to pay €250 in the future.
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Read more after the announcement
What can tenants do?
Both owners agree – it is not necessary to turn off the heaters in winter. There is a very practical reason for this: heating costs also arise when the coolant is set to zero, due to the basic costs corresponding to the heating surface. “If you want to save on heating costs, you should ventilate more regularly. Since fresh air heats up faster, real savings can be made here”, according to the WVG recommendation.
In emergency situations, an appropriate premium must also be paid if the additional costs billed are too high at the end of the year. Both companies also provide advice, along with Caritas. The WGG also notes that they can also contact caregivers and make recommendations for energy savings during on-site appointments.