District heating provider in court: Consumer advice center is suing Eon and Hansewerk Natur

District heating provider in court: Consumer advice center is suing Eon and Hansewerk Natur

The consumer advice center recently filed lawsuits against the district heating providers Eon and Hansewerk Natur because they consider the price increases to be unlawful. The Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) is planning class action lawsuits to obtain refunds for customers, as the price increases for both providers are viewed as significantly excessive. In particular, customers in the Eon and Hansewerk Natur supply areas have noticed that their heating costs have increased by several hundred percent compared to the previous year. The vzbv argues that the companies' price change clauses in recent years have not met legal requirements and is against price increases that occurred after 2020.

In response to the lawsuits, both Eon and Hansewerk Natur have denied the allegations and emphasized that their prices comply with legal requirements. A spokesman for Eon in Essen emphasized that the district heating prices are based on transparent basic data and take customer burdens into account. Hansewerk Natur attributed the price increases to the historically high gas prices as a result of the conflict in Ukraine and announced lower prices for the future because natural gas purchases would be possible at more favorable conditions.

The vzbv consumer advocates referred to specific price examples, such as the Eon prices in the Erkrath-Hochdahl supply area in North Rhine-Westphalia. The gross labor price there increased from 6.18 cents per kilowatt hour in 2020 to 23.24 cents per kilowatt hour in 2022, which led to significant additional costs for consumers. Customers have the opportunity to join the class action lawsuits by entering the lawsuit register at the Federal Office of Justice so that their claims are not time-barred. The lawsuits were filed with the higher regional courts in Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Federal Cartel Office is also keeping an eye on the price increases of district heating suppliers and is conducting abuse proceedings against six providers due to excessive price adjustments. The exact providers under investigation have not been disclosed. In particular, the Office intends to examine the application of price adjustment clauses in more detail, without, however, specifying a specific date for the completion of the investigation.