Heating costs 2024: Lower consumption, higher costs – trend of the past five years

Minol analyzed heating bills for 2024. The result: The trend from previous years continues. While households are becoming increasingly conscious of their heating energy consumption and using less, costs continue to rise – although not as sharply as in the previous year.

Leinfelden-Echterdingen, May 2025: German households are becoming increasingly conscious and economical with their heating energy. This is shown by the heating cost statistics from the real estate service provider Minol. Based on hundreds of thousands of households' billing data, Minol has identified a clear trend regarding the consumption and costs of heating and hot water: Compared to the previous year, the consumption of heating oil and district heating has decreased by an average of approximately two percent per square meter of living space. Households that heat with natural gas have even seen a reduction of around eight percent. "Mild winter temperatures, but above all the digitalization of metering, are contributing to this trend. Remotely readable heat cost allocators make it possible to provide residents with monthly consumption information so they can monitor and optimize their consumption and costs. In light of rising energy prices, due in part to CO₂ taxation, this is more important than ever," explains Oliver Bartsch, Head of Billing at Minol.

Cost development

Heating is primarily provided by district heating, natural gas, and heating oil. The choice of heating medium has a significant impact on the overall costs for heating and hot water, as well as on ancillary heating costs. In 2024, heating costs for district heating averaged €14,09 per square meter of living space, representing an increase of almost six percent compared to the previous year. If the house is supplied with natural gas, consumers pay an average of €16 per square meter of living space – an increase of 7,4 percent. Households using heating oil face a moderate price increase of 1,3 percent compared to 2023, paying an average of €15,90 per square meter.

For all heating systems, the rule is: the larger the building, the lower the consumption and costs per household. This difference is particularly evident with district heating: In a building with 2 to 5 residential units, a household pays €16,96 per square meter of living space for heating and hot water, including ancillary heating costs. In buildings with 6 to 10 residential units, this amount drops to €14,40, and in buildings with 11 to 50 residential units, it falls to €10,90. This represents a reduction of approximately 36 percent compared to the smallest residential unit.

The annual overview shows the development of consumption and costs for all common heating media over the past five years. It clearly shows that while consumption is generally decreasing across all media, costs are rising – though to varying degrees depending on the heating medium.

Increased energy efficiency through digitalization

The building sector in Germany is to become climate-neutral by 2045. Currently, it still accounts for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions, although this figure is declining. A key to achieving these climate goals is the intelligent use of energy. This will be further enhanced by the amendment to the... Heating Cost Ordinance (HKVO) requires landlords to switch to remotely readable metering technology by the end of 2026 at the latest and provide tenants with monthly interim consumption information (uVi). This enables tenants to better monitor their energy consumption, actively motivate themselves to save energy, and reduce their costs – an important step towards more sustainable energy use.

According to a survey conducted by the VDIV (Association of German Property Managers) among approximately 340 property management companies, 58,1 percent of the condominium owners' association (WEG) portfolio and 61,3 percent of the rental housing stock are now equipped with remotely readable metering technology. However, only 31,5 percent of the condominium owners' association portfolio and 39,1 percent of the rental apartments currently receive the meter readings regularly. The potential of remotely readable meters is therefore far from being fully realized. According to the survey, the biggest challenges in implementation lie in areas such as data processing, communication, and technical implementation.

“With remotely readable metering technology, Minol eMonitoring, and the Minol app, Minol offers a complete solution that is easy to implement. This ensures that owners and landlords are legally compliant, while tenants gain a convenient and up-to-date overview of their consumption data,” says Bartsch. “They benefit from features such as consumption comparisons, energy-saving simulations, and a detailed CO₂ balance. This allows them to optimize their energy consumption in a targeted manner.”

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