Gas Providers in Germany
If your apartment is heated by gas & you don't sublet from someone but rent an apartment on your name, you likely need make a contract with a gas provider. Read here how to find, compare & sign up with one.
Note that you can make a contract with any German provider, no matter where you live. So even if you live in Berlin, you can make a contract with a provider from Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, or Munich.
Questions & Answers
When do I need a gas provider?
- If you rent (or buy) an apartment or house directly from a landlord
- and your place uses local gas heating. To find out
- ask your landlord, or
- check if you have the things seen in the photo above in your flat.
You usually don't need a gas contract
- if you rent your apartment or room with an "all-inclusive" contract like via Airbnb or similar.
If in doubt, ask your landlord.
How to make a contract with a gas supplier?
- Estimate your consumption with the table below.
- Pick a provider or comparison service from the list below.
- Enter your postal code and estimated consumption to get offers for you.
How do I get billed for my gas consumption?
- Based on your consumption estimation, they calculate a monthly prepayment rate for you. Pay that rate now every month.
- After a year (usually), they measure your actual consumption.
- If you used less than your estimation, you will get money back and your monthly prepayment rate will be lowered.
- If you used more than your estimation, you will need to pay the difference and your monthly prepayment rate will be raised.
Average Consumption Rates
To estimate your gas consumption, you can go by average consumptions per year[1] of German households, as shown in the tables below. There are average numbers
- for water heating by number of people in the household
- plus by apartment size.
Household size | Average gas consumption for water heating |
---|---|
1 person | 600-800 kWh |
2 person | 1200-1600 kWh |
3 person | 1800-2400 kWh |
4 person | 2400-3200 kWh |
Apartment size | Average gas consumption for room heating |
---|---|
30m² | 3,800 kWh |
50m² | 5,000 kWh |
100m² | 12,000 kWh |
150m² | 18,000 kWh |
terrace house | 20,000 kWh |
single-family house | 35,000 kWh |
Find a Gas Provider
List of German Gas Providers
Common German gas providers with their Trustpilot rating:
- Vattenfall[2]: minimum term: 12 months
- lekker[2]
- Polarstern[2]: minimum term: 1 month[3]
- eprimo[2] – Video guide on how to sign up
- LEW[2]
Compare German Gas Providers
Instead of comparing offers yourself, you can use a comparison service. Enter your postal code & estimated consumption, and get a list of offers.
Notes
- ↑ "Durchschnittlicher Gasverbrauch" – source, retrieved 2022-06-27
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 This is an affiliate link. If you click on it and then buy something or sign up for a service, we may earn a commission which covers our expenses. This does not change the price for you.
- ↑ "Welche Konditionen bietet Polarstern? / Bei uns gibt es keine Mindestvertragslaufzeit – du kannst deinen Vertrag immer mit zwei Wochen Frist zum Monatsende kündigen." – source, retrieved 2022-06-22