Overview

• One in four electricity customers and nearly one in five gas customers remain on default supply contracts, according to Bundesnetzagentur data.
• Default supply households spent €8.5 billion on electricity and gas in the first half of 2025 versus €5.5 billion under the cheapest tariffs, resulting in €3 billion of avoidable costs.
• Average default electricity prices were 43.96 cent per kilowatt-hour compared with 27.85 cent in the cheapest plans, a 37 percent difference, while gas prices averaged 13.99 cent versus 9.71 cent, a 31 percent gap.
• A typical household consuming 4 000 kWh of electricity and 20 000 kWh of gas could cut annual bills by around €1 628 by switching out of default supply.
• Despite 24-hour switching for electricity and planned tax and fee reforms, many consumers remain in default tariffs out of convenience or uncertainty, experts warn.