District heating prices: Experts see enormous differences between German cities

Die Fernwärme in Halle (Saale) war im dritten Quartal dieses Jahres mit 12 Cent pro Kilowattstunde die günstigste in Deutschland. Im Gegensatz dazu war Köln mit 27 Cent pro Kilowattstunde am teuersten. Dies ergab eine Erhebung des Bundesverbandes der Verbraucherzentralen (VZBV) in Zusammenarbeit mit der Stadtverwaltung.

Demand for district heating in Germany

According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), around three quarters of residential buildings in Germany are currently heated with gas or oil. Only 6 percent or 1.2 million houses are supplied with district heating from a thermal power plant. Calculated based on the number of apartments, the proportion is 15 percent.

Impact on the market and the consumer

The low district heating prices in Halle (Saale) compared to other cities could lead to increased demand for district heating. This could stimulate investment in the expansion and modernization of district heating networks in other cities in order to remain competitive. For consumers, lower district heating prices could lead to savings in heating costs and increase the attractiveness of district heating as a heating method.
According to a report by dubisthalle.de,