Heating costs 2025: Schleswig-Holstein fights against rising gas prices!

Natural gas prices in Germany, especially in Schleswig-Holstein, reach historical highs in 2025. Reports show that prices are now twice as high as before the energy crisis. In Schleswig-Holstein, new gas contracts below 10 cents per kilowatt hour are not available. Consumers have to expect a consumption of 20,000 kWh of around 2,200 euros a year with average heating costs for a family home. An increase in wholesale prices at the end of 2024 is one of the main causes, with the Ukraine War and the global political situation having further influence on price development.

Another aspect of the price increases is the increasing CO2 price, which, according to current data, increases from 1.0 to 1.2 cents gross per kWh. However, this increase has only a minor influence on the price increase. The basic supplementary prices in Schleswig-Holstein also show a remarkable development: Eon increases the prices of 10.2 cents in December 2024 to 12.2 cents in February 2025, while Stadtwerke Kiel has a decrease from 14.3 cents to 13.5 cents.

long -term plans and effects on customers

experts also warn of the consequences of emigration from natural gas customers that could lead to higher prices because the operating costs are passed on to a reduced customer base. In the past two years, SH Netz AG has determined a decline in gas connections by 7,000 to 210,000. As part of climate neutrality goals, SH Netz AG plans the possible decommissioning of partial networks by 2040. Stadtwerke Lübeck and Kiel are currently referring to the fact that there are no plans for the decommissioning of the gas supply.

worldwide the heating costs are not only increasing in Schleswig-Holstein. From 2025, millions of Germans have to expect higher heating costs, since the CO₂ price, an environmental policy instrument to achieve the climate goals, continues to increase. The price of fossil fuels was introduced in 2021 and provides for an increase in the CO₂ price of 45 euros per ton by January 1, 2024 to 55 euros per ton for 2025, with further increases up to 65 euros. These price increases also affect the costs for gas heaters and subsequently lead to higher invoices for consumers, such as

In practice, this means that a kilowatt hour of gas in 2024 is about 1 cents more expensive due to the CO₂ price, plus VAT of 19 percent. For 2024 and 2025, a forecast development of gas heating costs is expected, which could further increase the stress for consumers.