Rip off by SPÖ: Nepp demands immediate tariff change for Wiener!

Rip off by SPÖ: Nepp demands immediate tariff change for Wiener!

The Vienna FPÖ state party chairman Dominik Nepp and the FPÖ-Energies spokesman Paul Hammerl have sharply criticized the practice of price regulation in the field of district heating. In particular, turn against the double function of SPÖ mayor Ludwig, who is responsible for both the owner of Vienna Energie and for district heating price regulation. These conflicts of interest affect around 450,000 households in Vienna, which are contaminated with excessive energy prices. As reported ots in autumn 2022 to increase the highest price % received from the city of Vienna due to increased gas prices.

Despite the gas wholesal trade prices that have fallen since the beginning of 2023, the officially defined district heating price in Vienna remains unchanged. From September 2023, this situation will be addressed with discounts from September 2023, which shows that the maximum price of Nepp and Hammerl is disproportionately set. The current district heating price is 38 % above the price in Graz and 55 % above the discounted self -price of Vienna Energy. Hammerl therefore calls for independent and transparent regulation of district heating prices.

authority under pressure

In addition, bundeskartellamt.de Procedures against seven municipal utilities and district heating versions. There is suspicion that these excessive price increases have misused between 2021 and 2023. In four district heating networks, the initial suspicion has hardened, since illegal price adjustment clauses were used to the disadvantage of consumers. The necessary regulations for effective control are considered essential.

Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office, emphasized the monopoly position of district heating suppliers in their network areas, which means that consumers cannot change providers. This situation makes the need for a more intensive official review, especially with regard to the price adjustment clauses. The currently addressed price increases exceed the legally permissible limits.

legal context

The problem of pricing and its regulations is supplemented by a decision by the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) of July 9, 2019. A case was processed in which the excessive prices of a district heating company in Saxony-Anhalt were discussed. The OLG Naumburg had recognized that the district heating supplier could not only rely on general price comparisons in order to justify price conditions. This confirms the complex legal landscape in which district heating suppliers operate and illustrates the need to enable factual and comprehensible price differentiations. This information was provided on [Energie.de] (https://www.energie.de/euroheatpower/News-detailsicht/nsctrl/detail/news/bgh-zur-kartelllechtliche-konro-von-fernwaerme prices).

The current challenges in the area of district heating care illustrate the urgency of transparent and fair pricing in order to protect consumers from unjustified price increases. The voices of the FPÖ and the activities of the Federal Cartel Office are just a few of the signs of a complex area of tension that shapes the European energy market.