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Relief for Heating Costs
Turning up the heat was expensive for many people in 2022. Those who heated their homes with oil, for example, can now receive some relief. Photo: Getty Images / Christian Horz
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May 13, 2023, 3:03 am | Read time: 3 minutes

They do not benefit from the price brakes for gas and district heating: households that heat with oil or wood. However, they are equally affected by rising costs. Now they, too, will receive relief.

In most of the 16 federal states, hardship assistance for non-piped energy sources can be applied for starting this week. So, if you heat your home with heating oil, liquefied gas, wood pellets, wood chips, wood briquettes, firewood, coke, and coal and had to purchase these fuels at high prices in 2022, you can get part of your costs reimbursed this way. How do you apply for relief for the increased heating costs?

Reference Prices as a Basis

The prerequisite for support is that your individual purchase values have more than doubled compared to the general price level in 2021. The federal and state governments have set the general price level for 2021 with reference prices. These are inclusive of VAT:

  • Heating oil: 71 cents per liter (ct/l)
  • Liquefied gas: 57 ct/l
  • Wood pellets: 24 ct/kg
  • Wood chips: 11 cents per kilogram (ct/kg)
  • Wood briquettes: 28 ct/kg
  • Firewood: 85 euros per cubic meter
  • Coal and coke: 36 ct/kg

Online Calculator Shows Expected Reimbursement

The federal government covers 80 percent of the costs that exceeded a doubling of the reference prices in 2022. Those who want to calculate their reimbursement claim in advance can use the online calculator from the consumer centers.

Berlin plays a special role: Here, the subsidy is already available if prices were more than 70 percent above the reference values. The advice portal Finanztip has found that this regulation can make a significant difference. For example, someone who filled their 2,000-liter heating oil tank at the end of October at a price of 1.70 euros per liter would receive a subsidy of 788.80 euros in Berlin, but only 448 euros in all other federal states.

Also interesting: 13 simple tips to save heating costs in your home

More on the topic

2,000 Euros Reimbursement Possible per Household

Applicants from private households can receive a maximum of 2,000 euros in support. However, the relief must be at least 100 euros. In a residential building where several households are supplied by the same heating system, the minimum threshold increases by 100 euros for each party, but not exceeding 1,000 euros.

In homeowners’ associations (WEG) or rented multi-family houses, the WEG or the landlord can make claims. Landlords are obliged to pass on the received funding to the tenants upon application. Therefore, tenants do not need to take any action themselves.

Also interesting: Do my heating costs increase if my neighbor doesn’t heat?

Apply for Heating Cost Relief

Those who have the relevant invoices ready can submit their application depending on the federal state as follows:

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of MYHOMEBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@myhomebook.de.

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