{
  "id": 12624216,
  "title": "Energie: Plus 28 Prozent: Heizen wird dieses Jahr für viele Haushalte deutlich teurer",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/energie-plus-28-prozent-heizen-wird-dieses-jahr-fur-viele-haushalte",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-07T12:05:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/energie/energie-so-hoch-werden-die-heizkosten-fuer-haushalte-in-diesem-jahr-ausfallen/100253833.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Since the onset of the Iran war, the cost of crude oil has skyrocketed. Consequently, the price of heating oil has surged as well. The \"Heizspiegel,\" published on Tuesday, reveals the additional burden that consumers can anticipate during the forthcoming heating period. CO2Online, a nonprofit advisory company, conducts the annual data collection for the Heizspiegel with funding from the Federal Environment Ministry. They gather information on the expenses of various heating sources through surveys of 67,000 buildings, including single and multi-family homes. The forecast for the entire year of 2026 takes into account the change in heating demand due to the weather compared to the previous year, using data from the German Weather Service. Additionally, the average prices for individual energy carriers up to this summer are included. Gas costs decrease due to a one-time effect. For heating methods like district heating and heat pumps, higher costs amount to no more than three percent, primarily due to inflation. Once inflation is subtracted, district heating and heat pumps remain nominally at the same price in the long run, but only if the energy grids transition to renewable energy sources in the future, stated Alexander Steinfeldt, co-responsible for the Heizspiegel at CO2Online. This will initially make district heating-heated homes more expensive in the short term. The investment costs for a heat pump only pay off after several years. The gas price has slightly decreased, as the higher wholesale prices due to the Iran war have not yet fully reached consumers. Many customers receive their gas through contracts with price guarantees. Moreover, the gas storage surcharge completely disappeared at the beginning of the year. The federal government included this additional cost point in 2022 to finance the filling of gas storage facilities during the energy crisis. As of January, the surcharge no longer has to be paid by consumers. However, it is just a one-time effect, Steinfeldt warns. In the long run, gas will become one of the most expensive heating methods due to the increasingly higher CO2 prices. Pellets gain almost as much weight as oil this year. They are used as fuel in automatic heating systems. Unlike fossil fuels, their price increase is not tied to the raw material markets but to regional specifics. The lumps mainly consist of waste products from the wood processing industry, such as sawdust, flour, or wood chips. When these byproducts are missing, the material for pellets is also missing. The construction boom indirectly shows on the price, says Martin Bentele, CEO of the German Wood and Pellet Association. The combination of dry winters and heavy rainfall in the summer has prevented the bark beetle from spreading as much in the past two years. Fewer trees had to be felled due to damage, and even less wood was available for pellets. Despite the significant price increase, pellets are currently the most cost-effective heating source after heat pumps. The Heizspiegel forecast predicts a moderate development of the price for pressed wood lumps in the long term. Germany can meet its demand for pellets as the largest producer in Europe, and consumers are not dependent on imports. Switching to pellet heating is especially worthwhile for old buildings. However, the Federal Environment Agency does not consider wood as sustainable overall due to the resulting greenhouse gases and fine dust. In well-insulated new buildings, heat pumps remain the best choice. In buildings that are difficult to renovate with high heating demand, heat pumps might not be technically or economically feasible. If an old oil heater is to be replaced, switching to pellets may be worthwhile, as the new pellet silo can then be built in place of the old oil tank.",
  "summary": "Eine bundesweite Analyse zeigt, wie sich die Kosten 2026 für die verschiedenen Heizarten entwickeln. Nur ein Wärmeträger wird günstiger.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Energie: Plus 28 Prozent: Heizen wird dieses Jahr für viele Haushalte deutlich teurer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/energie-plus-28-prozent-heizen-wird-dieses-jahr-fur-viele-haushalte-12653091",
        "published": "2026-10-07T14:55:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}