Why are Germans heating more in the mild winter of 2023 despite the energy crisis? New study provides answers.

Why are Germans heating more in the mild winter of 2023 despite the energy crisis? New study provides answers.

According to a report by www.karlsruhe-insider.de, saving was already the German motto when it came to energy consumption last year. The energy crisis continues, and yet Germans seem to be heating more, despite the mild winter.

The heating season is in full swing, but so far winter has only had a few days with temperatures below zero. And yet: Despite the ongoing energy crisis, Germans are apparently heating too much in the winter of 2023.

Despite the mild winter: heating requirements are very high

Germany is currently in a rather moderate weather situation. Temperatures will remain in the milder ranges. It is all the more surprising that Germans are supposedly heating more this winter despite the ongoing energy crisis. At least that's what an evaluation by Ista (service provider for billing energy costs) says.

The results show that citizens heat above average, even though the winter has been mild so far. Ista conducted a survey and wanted to know everything about their heating habits from those surveyed. In the end it was clear that there was more heating in Germany compared to the previous year.

“The savings consciousness that was still strong among consumers last year seems to have given way to a certain level of carelessness,” explained Ista CEO Hagen Lessing. For the meaningful study, the company evaluated two million digital measuring devices. These provided data from 350,000 apartments.

Consumption increased

From September to November, consumption is said to have increased by 12 percent, according to the results. The data was compared with the previous year. A look at the recorded weather data shows that the heating requirement measured based on these parameters would have been 12 percent lower in Germany.

Ista uses the measurement data together with Walter Krämer, a statistics professor at the TU Dortmund, to establish a connection between weather and heating behavior. The conclusions show that the heating behavior is not due to the weather, but rather to human behavior, it is said.

Regional differences detected

Based on the factors determined, it can even be deduced that heating behavior varies drastically from region to region within Germany. In Berlin, the heating requirement was 14 percent more than was necessary based on the weather data. In Saxony and Bavaria, on the other hand, citizens only heated around seven percent more.

Despite Ista's sobering results, a survey by YouGov (opinion research institute), which was carried out on behalf of Ista among 2,000 tenants and property owners, shows that 46 percent expect to have roughly the same heating costs in 2023 as in 2022. However, 36 percent also expected higher heating costs than in the previous year.

Based on the available information about the heating habits and consumption of Germans in this mild winter, it can be seen that people are heating more than in the previous year despite the mild temperatures. This could lead to higher energy consumption and rising energy costs in the long term, especially if behavior is not adjusted. Companies in the energy sector could prepare for higher demand for heating energy, while consumers could face rising costs if the trend continues. It is important that people are conscious about not consuming too much energy to minimize the impact on the market and the financial industry.