District Heating Pricing: A Case for the Antitrust Authority?
If district heating is to make a real contribution to the energy transition, then considerations are needed on how this market should be designed. Very readable considerations by Kathrin Witsch in Handelsblatt:
“The district heating customer is at the mercy of his provider in terms of price, there can be no talk of competition. So anyone who now sees as a district heating customer at Eon that his annual advance payment for 2022 has increased by partly 3000 euros (although there was already a significant increase in 2021), has to pay whether he likes it or not. (…) Especially now, when this technology is supposed to play an important role according to the federal government, district heating is in a crisis of confidence. (…) One thing is certain: For the energy transition to succeed, we need a functioning market for district heating.”
– Kathrin Witsch, Team Leader Climate and Energy at Handelsblatt, in “Away with the Intransparency – How energy prices are made is complicated and often a mystery”, Handelsblatt from 3., 4., 5. March 2023, No. 45
