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Higher energy prices cause slight increase in network charges 2025

Berlin’s households must be prepared for a slight increase in network charges in the coming year. In particular, higher costs charged to Stromnetz Berlin from the upstream transmission grid will lead to a moderate increase. For the average Berlin household with an annual energy consumption of 1,950 kilowatt-hours (kWh), this means an increase of around two percent, or approximately 1.20 euros per month.

The increase in network charges is the result of higher energy prices in the German transmission grids. At the beginning of October, the four transmission system operators announced that their fees for 2025 would increase, citing higher costs for congestion management and rising investments in the course of grid expansion as the reasons. The announced increase for the transmission grid is now reflected in the network operators’ cost accounting – meaning that the passing on of some of the costs in the form of adjusted network charges is unavoidable. The lower energy prices for the procurement of lost energy had a positive impact on the calculation of network charges. This had a dampening effect on prices.

Network charges make up about one-quarter of the electricity price

Network charges are part of the electricity price and are levied in equal measure via the electricity rates of all the suppliers active in Berlin. On average, they make up about one-quarter of the electricity price. Network charges are made up of the costs for transporting electricity, costs for operating meters, meter reading and billing, and the cost of the upstream transmission system. The amount of the network charges is determined in accordance with the specifications of the Electricity Grid User Charge Ordinance (StromNEV) and the Ordinance on the Regulation of Incentives (ARegV).

Under Section 20 para. 1 of the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), Stromnetz Berlin GmbH must publish the following year's charges for grid access online by 15 October of each year. The expected network charges are now available at www.stromnetz.berlin/entgelte. Stromnetz Berlin has hereby informed all suppliers and customers of the adjustment of network charges. All of the published charges are provisional. Changes may still be made up to the effective date of 1 January 2025.

Background: Network charges in other regions of Germany

Customers in some areas of Germany have paid more in network charges over many years than electricity customers in Berlin due, for instance, to the high feed-in of renewable energies in their region. In 2025, the distribution network operators’ network charges, which vary greatly in some cases, will equalise to a certain extent. For the first time, the legislator is relieving the burden on consumers in regions that were previously more heavily burdened. As a result, some grid operators are now able to significantly reduce their network charges for the first time in many years, bringing them a little closer to the lower network charges in Berlin.