The state wants to relieve consumers and the economy of gas bills. A commission of experts proposes the introduction of a gas price brake in March. Chancellor Scholz apparently wants to get started earlier.
According to reports, the federal government wants to put the gas price brake into effect as early as February 1 to relieve the burden on citizens. This emerges from a resolution proposed by the Federal Chancellery for the Prime Ministers' Conference on Wednesday, which is available to ntv.de. The competent expert commission had proposed an introduction on March 1st. The proposal from the Chancellery states: "Retroactivity to February 1, 2023 is sought."
According to the expert commission's proposal, consumers will receive "regular monthly relief", which is based on 80 percent of the previous year's consumption, according to the draft. "The previous year's consumption is the annual consumption forecast on which the down payment for September 2022 was based."
The gas price is therefore capped at twelve cents per kilowatt hour for this consumption, and at 9.5 cents per kilowatt hour for district heating. "If citizens use less gas or heat, they can further reduce their gas bills beyond the relief provided by the gas price brake," the chancellery describes the gas price brake, according to the report.
The monthly relief from the gas price brake "does not have to be repaid, even if the actual consumption is well below 80 percent of the previous year's consumption," the draft continues. "This means that for every kilowatt hour of gas saved, citizens save the currently high market price per kilowatt hour - which is well above the capped price of twelve cents per kilowatt hour."
The federal government is providing 200 billion euros to finance the gas price brake, among other things. According to the draft, the funds are also to be used to finance a hardship scheme. "Aid programs are to be financed for areas in which, despite the electricity and gas price brake, there are financial burdens that cannot be compensated for by those affected. The federal government is providing a total of twelve billion euros for this."
