Press Household electricity price in the first half year of 2021 was 32.62 cent per kilowatt-hour

Press release No. 466 of 1 October 2021

WIESBADEN – As reported by the Federal Statistical Office, the average household price for electricity was 32.62 cent per kilowatt-hour in the first half year 2021. The average household natural gas price in the first half year 2021 was 6.41 cent per kilowatt-hour. Compared to the first half of the year of 2020, electricity prices and gas prices rose by 4.7%.

The prices for electricity and natural gas that had to be paid were significantly affected by the return to the normal level of the value added tax. For Household with an annual electricity consumption of less than
1 000 kilowatt-hours, about 67 percent of the price increase is attributable to the value added tax. Without the increase in the value added tax, private households would have paid even 0.27 cent less for an annual consumption of more than 15 000 kilowatt-hours.

Gas prices were additionally increased by the new CO₂  tax. Total averages prices for household rose by 9.8% for annual consumption of more than 200 gigajoules, but fell by 0.5% for annual consumption of less than 20 gigajoules.

The average electricity price for non-households without value added taxes (VAT) and other recoverable taxes was 14.90 cent per kilowatt-hour (-1.2% compared to the second half year 2020). For annual consumption of between 2,000 and 20,000 megawatt-hours, the average price fell by 2.2%, while for annual consumption of 150 gigawatt-hours and above, prices rose significantly by 20.3%. 

The average natural gas price without VAT and other recoverable taxes for non-household customers was 3.05 cent per kilowatt-hour (+14.2% compared to the second half year 2020). Prices rose across all consumption groups. For non-household customers with annual consumption of less than 1,000 gigajoules, prices increased by 6.3%, while for consumers with annual consumption of more than 4 million gigajoules, prices rose by 41%. While the introduction of CO₂ pricing was the first reason for the price increase for consumption groups of up to 1 million gigajoules, for consumers with annual consumption of more than 1 million gigajoules, increased energy costs were the key factor driving up prices.