Gas price for German households: what a kWh costs in 2026
Germany’s Federal Statistical Office reports household gas prices every six months. What you pay depends above all on how much gas you use.
Worked through by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Your gas cost a year
Cost a year
€2,084
| Price | 12 ct/kWh |
| Of which CO₂ at €65/t | €253 |
| A month | €174 |
Without your own price: household average for the first half of 2026 (Destatis), standing charge included.
According to the Federal Statistical Office, private households in Germany paid an average of 11.58 ct per kilowatt hour of natural gas in the first half of 2026, including standing charge, network charges, taxes and levies. Households using under 20 gigajoules a year, about 5,556 kWh, paid 15.17 ct; those using over 200 gigajoules, about 55,556 kWh, paid 10.92 ct. Prices fell in every band compared with the second half of 2025, partly because the gas storage levy was abolished. The price includes the national CO₂ price: at €65 per tonne, the 2026 auction average, that is 1.40 ct per kWh including VAT, about 12 % of the average price. A house using 18,000 kWh a year pays €2,084, of which €253 is for 3,265 kg of CO₂. For 2027 the Bundestag has passed the same corridor of €55 to €65, but the law has not yet been promulgated.
What households paid in the first half of 2026
Since 2020 the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) has collected suppliers’ sales prices and published an average for each half year. It includes standing or capacity charge, unit price, network charges, taxes, levies and surcharges, and covers existing customers as well as new contracts. For the first half of 2026 it is 11.58 ct per kWh. The statistics define usage bands in gigajoules; converted, 20 gigajoules are about 5,556 kWh and 200 gigajoules about 55,556 kWh.
| Use a year | Price per kWh | Example | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| below about 5,556 kWh | 15.17 ct | flat, 5,000 kWh | €759 |
| all households, average | 11.58 ct | detached house, 18,000 kWh | €2,084 |
| above about 55,556 kWh | 10.92 ct | large old house, 60,000 kWh | €6,552 |
The difference between small and large users comes mainly from the standing charge, which is due regardless of volume. For a flat with a gas wall heater it is a large part of the bill, for a big old house a small one. Compared with the second half of 2025, Destatis reports lower prices in every band and names the abolition of the gas storage levy as a reason. If you are new to Germany: suppliers usually set a monthly instalment (Abschlag) and settle the difference in an annual bill, so a price change shows up fully only on the annual bill.
Where the kilowatt hours on the bill come from
The meter counts cubic metres. The bill shows kilowatt hours, converted with the correction factor and the calorific value. The gross calorific value includes the heat in the water vapour of the flue gas. A condensing boiler recovers part of it, an old non-condensing boiler hardly any. So in no house does every billed kilowatt hour reach the radiator as heat. For comparisons this site uses a boiler efficiency of 87 % relative to the net calorific value. What one kWh of heat from gas costs next to oil and a heat pump is shown under heating costs compared.
The CO₂ share of the gas price
Since 2021 companies that put natural gas on the market have had to acquire certificates under the Fuel Emissions Trading Act for the CO₂ it releases when burned, and they pass the cost on in the price. For 2026, section 10 of the Act sets a price corridor of €55 to €65 per tonne. According to the German Emissions Trading Authority, auctions have averaged €65 so far. With the emission factor from EBeV 2030, one billed kWh of gas releases 0.181 kg of CO₂.
| CO₂ price per tonne | Status | ct per kWh incl. VAT | House using 18,000 kWh a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| €55 | bottom of the 2026 corridor | 1.19 | €214 |
| €65 | 2026 auction average | 1.40 | €253 |
| €55 to €65 | 2027: passed, not yet promulgated | 1.19 to 1.40 | €214 to €253 |
| €100 | scenario from 2028, no official value | 2.16 | €389 |
| €150 | scenario from 2028, no official value | 3.24 | €583 |
At today’s average, the CO₂ price is about 12 % of the average gas price. For 2027 the Bundestag passed the same corridor on 15 October 2026; the Bundesrat stage and promulgation are pending. From 2028 the EU emissions trading system ETS2 is due to replace the national price. It has no fixed price, only a threshold above which extra allowances are released. The scenarios at €100 and €150 per tonne would cost the example house €136 and €330 a year more than today. More under CO₂ price 2027.
CO₂ cost in 2026, 2027 and after
2027, passed, not in force
€237 to €281
| 2026 (55 to 65 €/t) | €237 to €281 |
| Your 2028 scenario (€100/t) | €432 |
VAT included. There is no fixed price for 2028: the value is your assumption.
What the gas price means for choosing a heating system
The example house using 18,000 kWh of gas a year would need about 4,140 kWh of electricity with an air-source heat pump at the performance factor measured in existing buildings. On a heat pump tariff that costs €1,136 instead of €2,084 for gas. The gap depends on the gas, electricity and CO₂ prices, all of which move. If you install a new gas boiler today, section 43 of the Building Modernisation Act also requires a share of low-carbon fuels such as biomethane: 10 % from 2029, 15 % from 2030, 60 % from 2040. These gases cost more than natural gas; what that means for the price is open. Details under gas boiler ban, the comparison including purchase under heat pump or gas boiler.
Gas price in a rented flat
Tenants pay for gas through the heating cost statement or directly to the supplier if they have their own gas wall heater. Tenant and landlord share the CO₂ part under the CO₂ Cost Allocation Act in 10 tiers, depending on the building’s CO₂ emissions per square metre. Your share is worked out under CO₂ cost split, the yearly CO₂ cost for any consumption with the CO₂ tax calculator.