District heating prices in Frankfurt are rising: This is how much consumers have to pay!

District heating prices in Frankfurt are rising: This is how much consumers have to pay!

From October 2025, Mainova AG will increase the prices for district heating in Frankfurt by a drastic 25 to 36 percent. This price adjustment primarily affects 80 percent of customers who pay using the direct billing model, and an average price increase of 26 percent can be expected. For the remaining fifth of customers, even higher costs of up to 36 percent can be expected. An example: A large apartment building must expect additional burdens of around 300 euros per year, which corresponds to 21 euros per megawatt hour.

The new price for district heating in Frankfurt is 139 euros per megawatt hour, which remains below the German average of 152 euros. The price adjustments take place annually in October or January and are based on changes in fuel prices, with declines of 12 and 14 percent respectively having already been recorded in the last two years. The restructuring of the price structure will affect the complete calculation formula for prices from 2025.

Investments in infrastructure

Mainova also announced that it would terminate and restructure the existing contracts, which underlines the need to adjust prices. To meet future energy needs in Frankfurt, the company plans to build 450 kilometers of additional district heating pipes by 2030, more than doubling the size of the existing network. A further step in this direction is the integration of a biomass power plant in Fechenheim, while planning for a second biomass power plant is already in progress.

Future solutions for energy generation also include the expansion of geothermal energy and large-scale heat pumps. At the same time, the West thermal power plant will be converted to gas and hydrogen, while the coal elements will be removed from the calculation formula from 2026. However, the power grid needs to be expanded by 2040 in order to cover the city's increased energy needs.

Regulatory challenges and adjustments

The changes in competition caused by the increased use of renewable energies also affect the income from combined heat and power, which requires additional action. In addition, the regulatory changes require an increase in staff, which inevitably also affects pricing.

In addition to the price increases, Mainova is also planning bridging technologies, such as mobile heating centers, to create interim solutions for households that are not yet connected to the district heating network. The long-term goal is to cover 40 percent of Frankfurt's heating needs through district heating.

However, before this increase takes effect, Mainova will reduce heat prices on October 1, 2024 due to reduced fuel costs for natural gas and coal. In this context, the labor price will be reduced by 18 percent, while the base price will increase by about 3.2 percent. The adjustments have different effects depending on consumption and the entire pricing is transparent and takes into account current market developments in heat generation.

The upcoming investments and price adjustments are part of Mainova's ambition to achieve climate neutrality of the heating market in Germany by 2045. The conversions in the energy and heat supply require high financial resources and will have a lasting impact on energy market costs. At the same time, innovative technologies for the decarbonization of district heating generation should be promoted.

For more information, the detailed reports can be accessed fnp.de and mainova.de can be viewed.