In contrast to the electricity, there is no smart meter for the gas that makes an external reading of the consumption possible. As a result, the annual accounts are in most cases based on reading values, but in the case of an apartment of consumption between old and new customers, consumption is often only determined in terms of mathematics, e-control board member Wolfgang Urbantsschitschit is often criticized. “That must improve.”
On the one hand, network operators should make more effort to get counting values - for example by installing more frequent measurements or by installing external readers. “There are possibilities that the gas meter places the consumption value on the electricity meter, and then you can read it.”
No smart meters planned for gas
There are no plans for the introduction of smart meters into gas, says Urbantsschitsch. With gas it would be even more relevant for gas than with electricity. “The average gas bill, if you heat with gas, is much higher than the electricity bill.”
On the other hand, the number of guesting points at household level has fallen by 6 percent in the last three years. “In 2020 we still had 1.3 million counting points, at the end of 2023 it was only 1.23 million counting points.” The question arises as much as how much one should invest in a technology that is purchasing.
For some network operators it can be logical to use external gas meters in combination with the Power Grid in addition to some areas. “But there is no requirement for it and we have not given a recommendation.”
Read yourself once a month
It would be good to evaluate once a month or at the beginning and end of the heating season and at the beginning of the year, the head of the final customer department recommends E-Control, Christina Veeigl. The advisory and arbitration administration of the e-control also contains the area of responsibility. Many questions are about ambiguities in terms of price change options, dismissal by electricity suppliers or agreements for basic care.
In the crisis years, the e-audit advice center had to deal with a huge amount of work: the questions and complaints from approximately 7750 in 2021 to 33,400 (2022) and 42,700 (2023). In 2024 the questions stopped for around 21,000, but were still four and a half times as high as in 2020. The applications for dispute settlement fell from almost 2500 to 1400 – in 2021 there were only 633.
The number of closures- especially because the electricity or gas bill was not paid to around 35,700 in 2023, after approximately 26,600 in the previous year. This corresponds to the number of counting points related to a switch -off percentage of 0.69 percent. So far, only the figures have existed for 2024 in November, but a decrease cannot be determined, according to the regulatory body.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
