Ursula Wastl
More and more Austrians are taking their energy future into their own hands. You will find extensive support on the website of E-Control (www.e-control.at). Since the liberalization of the energy markets in 2001, the company has been responsible for the establishment and compliance of all market participants in the energy sector ,
With electricity, the exchange rate has almost doubled in the past year from 1,8 percent to now 3,5 percent. The rate of change in gas rose 2014 to 4,6 percent, compared to 2,5 percent the year before. In total, 206.206's electricity customers - including 159.476 households - looked for a new electricity supplier last year. Their gas suppliers were changed by 61.633 customers, including 58.514 households.
"Only the supplier is changed. The network operator, ie the company responsible for the secure operation of the network, remains the same. No matter who you get your electricity from. The supply of electricity or gas does not change anything as a result of a change of supplier. "
Martin Graf, E-Control
Electricity changers are increasing rapidly
"This corresponds to a plus of almost 90 percent compared to the previous year," says Minister of Economy and Energy Reinhold Mitterlehner on the new market statistics of the regulatory authority E-Control. "Thus, the highest change rates have been achieved since the liberalization of the electricity and gas market, which has also increased competition in the domestic energy market. Nevertheless, we still have room for improvement in international comparison, "says Mitterlehner, who sees further potential that should be used.
One major reason for the positive development in the number of changeover figures is the high potential for savings for Martin Graf, CEO of the E-Control power and gas regulator. "Up to 510 Euro, an average household per year can currently save itself by switching from a traditional supplier to the cheapest electricity and gas supplier. These are the highest savings since liberalization, "stresses Graf.
More and more providers
The number of green electricity providers has also increased significantly in Austria. 2013 has offered a total of 81 suppliers electricity from 100 percent renewable energy. In 2012 it was still 56. Green power is booming. Never before have there been so many green electricity suppliers as this year.
The total sales volume of all green electricity providers (including state green electricity suppliers, which are pure green electricity providers) has almost doubled (plus 90 percent) and 2013 was at 17.412 gigawatt hours, 2012 9.184 gigawatt hours.
100 percent green electricity?
The average Austrian power mix 2013, according to E-Control's electricity labeling report, consists of 78,58 per cent of known renewable energy sources, 14,35 per cent known fossil fuels, 6,80 per cent electricity of unknown origin (ENTSO-E-Mix) and 0,27 per cent known other primary energy sources. And of these renewable energy sources, about 68 percent is hydroelectric power, a good five percent wind energy, just under four percent solid or liquid biomass and almost 1,5 percent other green electricity - including photovoltaic power with about 0,4 percent.
The domestic electricity companies have many subsidiaries and equity interests. Here Global 2000 shows the connections of the companies. The statement by Reinhard Uhrig, Global 2000:
"Electricity from renewable energy sources is produced and sold in Austria in considerable quantities. But: green electricity does not automatically promote the energy transition. "Green electricity" products, which are simply based on old hydropower or electricity trading, neither promote the energy transition nor make an additional contribution to climate protection. The switch to green electricity will only add environmental benefits if it creates new regenerative power plants that would otherwise not be built.
Many green electricity providers are subsidiaries of conventional suppliers (or "green" companies with "electricity from hydropower" have subsidiaries that distribute conventional "grime"): The green electricity sectors serve the profit maximization of power companies and lead electricity customers then astray if They believe that they contribute to the expansion of renewable energy sources with their electricity purchases - but the profit is delivered to the conventional group.
We therefore recommend only certified green electricity providers, who completely refrain from the electricity trade, only offer electricity from renewable sources (because they can not umetikikettieren "dirty" electricity) and are not direct or indirect subsidiaries of "conventional" providers. These are only the Alps Adria Energie (www.aae-energy.com) and Oekostrom AG (www.oekostrom.at). "
But if you really offer 100% green electricity, it is often not so easy to see through. Gudrun Stöger from oekostrom AG explains: "In addition to the two independent green electricity providers oekostrom AG and Alpen Adria Energie (AAE), many subsidiaries of established utilities offer 100 percent of clean electricity. From the point of view of oekostrom AG, however, the entire group must always be kept in mind - to spin-off a "clean" subsidiary in order to sell green electricity there and not change anything in the remaining corporate structures is not transparent and fair to consumers and does not stop there In view of reaching the energy transition and the climate protection goals of Austria no sense. "
Nuclear power, no thanks!
The labeling of E-Control provides information about the composition of the domestic electricity of the respective provider.
Households may no longer be supplied with any gray electricity due to the law amendment 2013. And the electricity labeling verification has shown that all suppliers have kept to that. Grayscale 2013 was only supplied to industrial customers. From the end of 2015 it is over with it. From then on, no electricity of unknown origin may be reported to industrial companies.
According to the so-called ENTSO e-mix (without renewable energy) in Europe and thus also in Austria, 2013 had 37,47 2012 percent of nuclear energy (35,7: 2,55 percent). From a purely mathematical point of view, the share of nuclear power in Austria last year was 2012 percent, 2,59 XNUMX percent. In recent years, the share of nuclear power in the Alpine republic has fallen steadily
Green Power: It's that easy
The change itself is very simple: All electricity and gas suppliers can be found in the tariff calculator of E-Control under www.e-control.at/tarifkalkulator. To change, you only need to fill out a form on the provider's website. The rest does this for you.
Nothing changes at the technical facilities. They continue to use the same meter and the same power lines as before the change. These are and remain the property of the network operator. As a free service providers often take over the network cost accounting - that means the network operator provides the bill for all network services, taxes and duties directly to their new contractor. He pays these bills and then settles them on to you.
Photo / Video: Shutterstock.
