German electricity prices for private households are among the highest in the EU. Costs are particularly high for small and medium-sized households with an annual consumption of less than 5,000 kilowatt hours, according to a survey by the Federal Statistical Office commissioned by the Left Party, daily Die Welt reports.
According to the survey, the consumer electricity price for single-person households was only higher in Liechtenstein and Belgium in the first half of 2023. Specifically, German households with an annual consumption of less than 2,500 kilowatt-hours, usually one-person households or pensioners living as a couple, paid a price of 45.36 cents per kWh. In Liechtenstein, the price was 46.35 cents per kilowatt-hour, while in Spain it was less than half that.
Of Germany’s neighbors, only Belgium had higher prices in this category at 45.59 cents per kilowatt-hour, while prices in Poland (19.92), France (27.35) and Austria (29.88 cents) were significantly lower than in Germany. The average of all 27 EU countries was 31.88 cents per kWh.
Even with an annual electricity consumption of between 2,500 and 5,000 kilowatt-hours, which applies to average families, German electricity prices ranked far ahead across the EU at 41.25 cents per kilowatt hour: Only in the Netherlands, Liechtenstein, Belgium and Romania was electricity more expensive for private consumers. The EU average in the first half of the year was 28.9 cents per kWh.
