Household gas heating costs in Germany climb nearly 70% in 2022 – index

Consumers in Germany can expect to pay about 20 percent more for their appartment's gas heating bill 2021 than for the year before, and prices could climb by 67 percent for the year 2022, according to the 2022 heating index (Heizspiegel), an online price comparison tool by non-profit consulting company co2online, supported by the economy ministry and the German tenant association. Price rises for oil heating are expected to reach over 50 percent for 2022, while costs for heat pumps, district heating and wood pellet heaters climb between 5 and 15 percent, the index found after analysing about 190,000 heating bills. The index looks at the development of heating costs for a flat of 70 square metres in an apartment building. The authors pointed out that residents living in modernised flats pay on average around 640 euros less than those living in older ones, and the savings climb to over 1,200 euros for modernised houses compared to non-modernised ones. 

Rising costs for heating and other energy bills are among the greatest concerns for many households and businesses in Germany. While the government has already greenlit energy cost relief and other crisis-response measures worth some 95 billion euros, worries remain that poorer households in particular will not be able to pay their bills and businesses might go bankrupt. While alternative heating systems such as heat pumps are gaining popularity fast, a quick replacement of fossil fuel-based heating systems is made difficult by supply problems and insufficient skilled workers capable of installing new systems.