Selection for private consumers has tripled in the last year / change of the gas provider saves on average 169 euro Berlin, December 10, 2009 since 2006 consumers in Germany have the opportunity to switch their gas supplier. The contest to the end customer has but only significantly on business page this year ride. So toptarif.de has tripled according to current surveys of the independent consumer portals over the choice for private end customers in the last 12 months. End of 2008 gas customers in Germany able to vote in the average between 6 gas companies\”, explains by toptarif.de energy expert Thorsten Bohg. Currently the number of available competitors has increased to about 19.\” The density of competition in Hamburg and Baden-Wurttemberg, where more than 30 vendors to attract of the customers advertise is the highest. Much less competition, however, in large parts of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, where in many places less than 12 service providers on the market.
Especially for the price, consumers can by the benefit, increasing competition on the gas market\”clearly Bohg. Although gas prices basic utilities nationwide are gone back this year by more than 20 percent, there is much greater savings for consumers as a year ago.\” So a sample budget can expect an annual consumption of 20,000 kWh gas when changing providers, with an average savings of 169 euro in relation to the most modest of local public utilities. According to the Federal Association of energy and water, but nearly 80 percent of all households with gas supply are located in the expensive prices of basic services. These tariffs are even 265 euros more expensive than the cheapest deals of competitors on average. 2008 there was, however, no cheaper alternatives to the regional distributors in many regions\”, so Bohg. The gas market compared with the intensity of competition in the electricity market is still in its infancy\”, continues Bohg.