Stromnetz Berlin publishes provisional grid fees for 2020

15.10.2019

Higher costs in the transmission grid and intensive investments lead to slightly higher grid fees

Higher costs in the transmission grid and intensive investments lead to slightly higher grid fees

Berlin's households and companies can expect slightly higher grid fees for 2020. There are various reasons for the rise, one of which is that 50Hertz Transmission has announced an increase in its usage fees for the upstream transmission grid in the coming year. Another factor leading to higher costs is the intensification of Stromnetz Berlin's investment activities.

Stromnetz Berlin Managing Director Thomas Schäfer says "We will continue our investment programme at the same high level over the coming years. In the areas of digitalisation, the growing city and maintenance & refurbishment of the distribution network, these investments are essential to meet the challenges of the quickly changing and rapidly growing city."

In the coming year, the grid fees for Berlin's household customers will consist of an unchanged base fee of EUR 39.70 and a kilowatt-hour rate of 5.85 ct/kWh. An additional charge of EUR 8.25 will be applied for the operation of a conventional meter. For a Berlin household with an average annual electricity consumption of 2,200 kWh, this means an overall rise of approximately EUR 8.00 per year (an increase of 4.7%).

Grid fees are a component of the price of electricity and are levied equally via the tariffs of all electricity suppliers operating in Berlin. On average, they account for around 25% of the price of electricity. Grid fees are made up of the costs for electricity transmission (grid usage fees), charges for meter operation, consumption measurement and consumption billing, and the costs of the upstream transmission grid. The fees are determined in accordance with standards issued by the Federal Network Agency.

Under Section 20 Paragraph 1 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), Stromnetz Berlin is obliged to make the grid access fees it has determined for the following year available online by 15 October each year. You can find the estimated grid fees here. Stromnetz Berlin has thus informed all suppliers and network customers about the grid fee adjustment. All published fees are estimates, and further changes may still be made up to the point that they enter into effect on 1 January 2020.