Energiemarkt unter Hochspannung

The liberalisation of the German electricity market began ten years ago, yet many things have still not happened. About a hundred new companies have tried to bring movement into the industry, but very few have been successful. Now competition has arrived in the market and companies are facing a veritable revolution, aggravated especially by a raft of state regulatory measures. Over the next few years, departments of public works and local municipal power supply companies may disappear from the market altogether, or change their business models radically. Customers cannot look forward to price cuts, but they may nevertheless be able to save on electricity costs. That is because black-box electricity meters will be replaced by intelligent reading devices and skilled advice about reducing consumption. For many power suppliers this represents a new market to be tapped into. These are the results of a survey conducted by Steria Mummert Consulting and the F.A.Z. Institute amongst the top 100 energy suppliers in Germany.