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Cold Winter Drives Up German Heating Bills as Regulator Says Gas Supply Is Secure

Colder weather lifted consumption enough to outweigh lower energy prices, according to new nationwide analyses.

Overview

  • Germany’s gas storage fell to unusually low January levels of roughly 47–52% after rapid withdrawals during the cold spell, yet the Bundesnetzagentur assesses immediate supply risk as low with unused LNG capacity available.
  • Techem projects 2025 heating costs rose about 8.6% on average, with the steepest increases for district heating (around 13.2%) and notable rises for gas, while oil saw only a modest uptick due to cheaper fuel.
  • Verivox estimates a typical gas household paid nearly 13% more in 2025, whereas oil-heated households paid about 4% more and still spent markedly less than gas customers on average.
  • Regional gaps are pronounced, with Baden‑Württemberg seeing the largest rise (about 14.2%) and cities such as Karlsruhe up around 21%, while northern states like Schleswig‑Holstein faced increases closer to 3%.
  • Bundesnetzagentur data show 2025 gas use rose 2.2% year over year but remained 13.5% below 2018–2021 levels, as Germany acted as a gas hub importing mainly from Norway (44%), the Netherlands (24%) and Belgium (21%), with LNG covering about 10% of imports.