Electricity discounters

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In Germany, an electricity discounter (also known as an energy discounter or low-cost electricity supplier ) is a company that supposedly or actually offers electricity and / or gas at comparatively low prices.

Business model

Energy discounters often win their customers through comparison portals . It is therefore important for the discounters to design their tariffs so that they are listed as high up as possible. After the customers have been brought under contract through the low prices, the prices are often increased again in the medium term. Partly with controversial methods:

  • In March 2013, Flexstrom was convicted by the Berlin Regional Court of revoking a deceptive declaration (price adjustment disguised as an information letter); the Hamburg consumer center had applied for the procedure.
  • Almado tried to bypass the payment of loyalty bonuses.
  • Care-Energy increased the Classic tariff in January 2014 from 19.90 to 24.90 ct / kWh and the basic price from 6.99 to 9.90 euros / month, although in October 2013 prices were still the same for the new year. Criticism and references to broken promises by customers were then removed several times on the Facebook company page.

The bankruptcies of the large discounter Teldafax Energy GmbH (750,000 customers) and Flexstrom (835,000 customers in the brands: ÖkoFlex, Löwenzahn Energie, Optimalgrün and FlexGas) led to strong media coverage, as did the business conduct of Care-Energy (250,000 customers, over 53 million euros EEG surcharges have been circumvented through dummy contracting ). Care-Energy caused a stir in 2016, because in June the transmission system operator 50Hertz and in July the network operator TenneT terminated the contracts due to outstanding payment obligations and thus severely impaired the Care-Energy business model. As a result of numerous consumer complaints, the Lower Saxony consumer center warned against the conclusion of new contracts with Care-Energy, referring to the supervisory procedure of the Federal Network Agency, in which it is said that the authority sees the risk of insolvency due to the persistent payment arrears of Care-Energy. Care-Energy Management GmbH has been in final insolvency proceedings since July 11, 2017.

Green electricity

Some electricity discounters also market their electricity (partly) as green electricity . However, since green electricity only has an environmental benefit if new systems are actually built to generate regenerative energy, many of these offers are classified as greenwashing . Care-Energy even advertised with the statement to supply green electricity according to the green electricity privilege , although only gray electricity was “colored green” by means of certificates . Some electricity discounters are also subsidiaries of electricity companies that generate electricity from nuclear power or fossil fuels (coal, natural gas), e.g. B. eprimo (100 percent owned by Innogy, belongs to E.ON), E wiesim (100 percent owned by E.ON), NaturEnergiePlus (100 percent owned by EnBW), Yello Strom ( 100 percent owned by E.ON) Percent owned by EnBW) and others.

Individual evidence

  1. Energy suppliers: watch out for low-cost providers . ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center, May 14, 2014. Accessed September 27, 2014. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vz-nrw.de
  2. Low-cost electricity provider: Only 2 out of 49 tariffs are fair . In: test , No. 02/2014, January 30, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  3. Heike Jahberg: How serious are electricity discounters? In: Der Tagesspiegel , July 26, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  4. http: //www.verbübersportal-bw.de/servlet/PB/menu/2939236_l1/index.html Price increase dandelion energy
  5. https://www.test.de/testde-warnt-vor-Flexstrom-und-Teldafax-Leser-haben-rote-Karte-4170161-0/ price increase for Tedafax and Flexstrom
  6. a b Care Energy: Controversial electricity discounter increases prices sharply . In: Spiegel Online , November 13, 2013.
  7. Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vzhh.de
  8. Electricity discounter almado has to pay a bonus. WDR , May 14, 2014, archived from the original on April 24, 2015 ; accessed on October 11, 2014 .
  9. Christoph Giesen: Between megalomania and amateurism. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . September 2, 2011, accessed June 28, 2014 .
  10. Jürgen Flauger, Sönke Iwersen: Guardian for electricity and gas . In: Handelsblatt . No. 104 , June 4, 2013, ISSN  0017-7296 , p. 18 .
  11. OLG Hamburg, judgment Az. 9 U 119/13 of August 12, 2014 = openJur 2014, 18661
  12. Energy supply for advanced users. In: taz.de
  13. detail. In: 50hertz.com. Retrieved July 18, 2016 .
  14. TenneT terminates balancing group contract with Care-Energy AG. (No longer available online.) In: tennet.eu. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016 ; Retrieved July 18, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tennet.eu
  15. Care Energy - What to do? In: SwitchUp.de. Retrieved July 18, 2016 .
  16. Care-Energy: Market watchdog energy warns of the conclusion of contracts. Marktwächter Energie, July 15, 2016, accessed on July 18, 2016 .
  17. LG Hamburg, judgment Az. 304 O 123/13 of October 28, 2013 = openJur 2013, 43084
  18. LG Hamburg, judgment Az. 304 O 66/13 of October 28, 2013 = openJur 2013, 43085
  19. Michael Bisping: Real environmental protection or "green dyeing" ?: How green is green electricity really? ( Memento from April 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) In: Servicezeit , Westdeutscher Rundfunk , March 11, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.