The gas allocation has been off the table since yesterday. However, many suppliers have already announced a price increase as of October 1 due to the surcharge. How consumers now deal with it, read here.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the end of the gas levy only yesterday. "It is no longer needed," he let the citizens know. Nice. The corresponding ordinance is withdrawn by a new one. This does not relieve or burden you additionally. Instead, a gas price cap is intended to cushion rising energy costs. How that will work is still unclear.
Regardless of this, many suppliers have already announced a price increase due to the gas levy on October 1, 2022 and have already increased the monthly deductions. But these invoices are now obsolete because an item was included that is no longer legal.
The Hamburg Consumer Center (VZHH) has advice for affected customers. Here it is: First pay the advances as agreed, but be sure to write down your meter reading as of September 30, 2022 and send it to your utility."
In this way, the gas surcharge can later be deducted from the annual statement. In addition, the supplier should be asked how they intend to deal with the withdrawal of the gas surcharge. In addition, a reduction in value added tax for gas deliveries from 19 to 7 percent is planned. This is to apply for a limited period from October 1, 2022 to the end of March 2024. For this reason, too, it is important to document the meter reading as of September 30, 2022.
The same rules and deadlines apply to price reductions as to price increases. For example, there is also a special right of termination here. Consumers should ensure that the supplier informs them transparently about the price change.
If the utility states in writing that it will not levy the gas surcharge, care should be taken to ensure that the letter is simple and easy to understand. If necessary, you should be asked to explain unclear wording.
But even if the state takes numerous measures to ensure that energy remains reasonably affordable, this does not change the scarcity of resources. In order to get through the winter together well, it is still important to save as much gas and electricity as possible.
