Network tariffs went up in all customer categories in 2012. This is apparent by simply looking at the network tariffs for household customers with default supply services, business custom- ers and industrial customers as the volume-weighted averages in the period 2006 to 2012.
The highest rise in absolute terms was 0.29 ct/kWh in the household customers segment. This is equal to growth of five percent compared with the year 2011. In percentage terms, network tariffs for industrial customers have gone up most markedly. These have risen by 15 percent or 0.22 ct/kWh in absolute terms. The network tariffs paid by business customers have also gone up by 0.22 ct/kWh or four percent on last year 2011. The precise development in previ- ous years is shown in the following diagram.
Figure 81: Development of average volume-weighted network tariffs
The rise in network tariffs also affects the share of the total electricity price which is made up of tariffs. The network tariff elements went up in all customer segments. Tariffs made up 22.7 percent of the price paid by household customers, 21.5 percent of the price paid by busi-
Figure 82: Development of network tariffs as a share of the total electricity price
Comparison of European electricity prices
The price of electricity - and the price paid by household customers in particular - is often a topic of public discussion. A comparison of electricity prices across the European Union shows that, when compared with prices paid across Europe as a whole, household customers in Germany pay above average prices or are in fact in the group of highest paying customers, depending on whether or not account is taken of tax and fees. The data on which such a com- parison is based is taken from a Eurostat survey of national average prices for household cus- tomers in 2011.72
If fees and taxes are not taken into account the average price for Germany is 14.01 ct/kWh and the overall average price for Europe 12.96 ct/kWh. Thus the average price in Germany is eight percent higher. Prices for household customers are lowest in Bulgaria and highest in Cyprus. The exact values for all EU countries considered are shown in the next diagram.
72 The survey looks at households in the group Dc which consume between 2,500 and 5,000 kWh annually. The
average was calculated for the first and second half of 2011 (survey 2011S1, 2011S2), total values for EU-27, pro- visional ("p"). Cf.: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/energy/data/database (Accessed:
The average household price for Germany, including taxes and fees, is 25.30 ct/kWh. This is the second highest price in the whole of Europe and 39 percent above the European average. The highest prices are charged in Denmark and the lowest in Bulgaria.
Germany does much better in a comparison of European electricity prices (excluding tax) for industrial consumers73. In this customer segment, prices in Germany are 9 ct/kWh – lower than the average for Europe as a whole of 9.35 ct/kWh. The highest prices are charged in Cy- prus and the lowest in Estonia. The detailed values are given in the following diagram.
If taxes and fees are included, the average price in Germany is 16.65 ct/kWh, which is 21 percent above the European average; this price places Germany in the top quarter price bracket.
Figure 86: Comparison of European electricity prices for industrial consumers in 2011 including taxes and fees
The picture is more differentiated when prices are compared across Europe as a whole. Ex- cluding taxes and fees Germany has one of the highest prices in the household customer segment; prices for industrial customers in Germany, in contrast, are below average. If taxes and fees are included, the final customer prices for both customer groups are among the high- est in Europe.
Metering
The 2012 monitoring survey was addressed both to the network operators in their role as op- erating their networks as well as in their role as having "basic responsibility" for meter opera- tion and to the independent meter operators operating freely in the market (and who may in- clude network operators providing metering services outside their own network areas).
Furthermore, the 2012 monitoring survey differed to previous years as a result of the revision of the EnWG in mid-2011 and the consequent amendments to section 21b ff of the EnWG and the effects on metering arrangements.
Consumption metering under the EnWG
653 network operators stated that independent meter operators provided meter reading ser- vices (electricity supply from the public network in accordance with section 21b of the EnWG in its old and revised form) within their network areas, serving around 260,721 metering points in total. This is not even one percent of the estimated 44.8m domestic electricity meters.
Under the EEG and the KWKG, installation operators, third parties and network operators may all be responsible as meter operators for measuring energy feed-in from renewable energy and combined heat and power (CHP) installations. The survey revealed that here again it is primarily the network operators who provide the metering services, as the following figures show.
Feed-in metering under the EEG
Out of a total of 1,165,776 known metering points for renewable energy, around 75 percent are read by the network operator and some 25 percent by the installation operator himself or an independent meter operator.
Feed-in metering under the KWKG
97 percent of the 148,124 known metering points for CHP installations are read by the network operators.
Metering points meeting the criteria of section 21c of the revised EnWG
In view of the revised version of the EnWG, the companies were asked to state the number of metering points known to meet the new criteria for the compulsory installation of metering equipment (section 21c of the revised EnWG). Of these,
212,027 are in buildings which have been newly connected to the energy supply net- work or which have undergone major renovation;
838,159 are for final consumers with an annual consumption exceeding 6,000 kWh; 61,082 are for operators of new installations with an installed capacity exceeding 7 kW
as regulated under the EEG or the KWKG; and
46,231 meet these criteria owing to other reasons, including in particular meters in all other buildings as specified in section 21c(1d) of the EnWG and routine meter re- placements.
Figure 87: Metering points as per criteria under section 21c new EnWG
In all, therefore, according to the meter operators who responded, around one million metering points met the requirements set out in section 21c of the EnWG at the end of 2011. This is less than three percent of a total of some 42m domestic meters.
multiple-tariff meters use ripple control. In addition, 2,062,083 non-remotely and 199,846 remotely read electronic meters were reported.
The following transmission technologies are used for the remote communication links for elec- tronically read meters:
Figure 88: Distribution of transmission technologies for remotely-read meters for standard profile customers Meter technology used for recording load-metered customers
363,167 load meters and 9,850 meters of other types are in use for recording load-metered customers. The following transmission technologies are used for the remote communication links:
Figure 89: Distribution of transmission technologies for load-metered customers