EnviaM increases electricity price for heat pumps: gas price falls

The energy supplier EnviaM is increasing the electricity price for owners of heat pumps and heat storage systems. As of January 1, the price for heat pump electricity will rise by 4.21 cents to 33.10 cents per kilowatt hour gross, the company announced on Monday. That is an increase of around 15 percent. The electricity price for heat storage will also be increased by 4.83 cents, according to the information: For an average household, which previously paid 2240 euros, this would then - without the effects of the heat price brake - be an estimated 367 euros more per year.

The increases were justified by high procurement prices last year. They are now leading to a delayed increase in heating electricity prices for end consumers, said CEO Patrick Kather. According to the information, around 70,000 customers in the network area, which covers parts of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Brandenburg, are affected. Normal electricity prices will remain constant for the time being. However, Kather held out the prospect that there could be a reduction for customers in the basic supply in the coming year.

At the turn of the year, the price of gas for around 55,000 private and commercial customers of Mitgas will be reduced by 0.94 cents. However, at 14.13 cents gross per kilowatt hour, it will still be above the current gas price brake. According to the comparison portal Verivox, there are now a number of providers offering significantly lower gas prices. When asked, Kather explained the difference with the role of EnviaM subsidiary Mitgas as the basic supplier. Unlike some competitors, the company has had to purchase gas at high prices in the past, which is now having an impact on prices. He expects this disadvantage to be offset by the end of 2024.

According to Kather, wholesale prices for electricity and gas are still significantly higher than before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. He criticized the fact that the lack of final political decisions was making planning more difficult. As examples, he cited the VAT on natural gas and the energy price brakes, which are due to expire at the end of the year but may be extended until the end of April: "This leads to the paradoxical situation that we cannot tell our customers at this point in time exactly what discounts they can expect."