It has been an expensive winter for homeowners who heat their homes with a gas boiler. Prices on the world market have skyrocketed, and for some customers this has meant a heating bill that has become several thousand kroner more expensive. This has made many consider whether they will be dependent on gas in the future.
- We are noticing an increased number of inquiries to the customer centers, where naturally more people are asking about the possibilities of entering into new agreements and getting an explanation of why prices are rising, says Jack Kristensen, head of function at the Andel Group's energy trading company, Seas-NVE.
He cannot yet see a trend of customers opting out of gas or of consumption falling. But many have also only really noticed the price increase after the New Year, when the bills are sent out. Some of the customers who contact Seas-NVE would like to have an idea of how gas prices will develop in the coming years.
- We are very cautious about this, because conditions can change quickly, says Jack Kristensen.
He says that gas storage facilities in Europe were emptied during the winter because it was colder than normal. At the same time, the summer's reopening has meant increased demand for gas in Asia, among other places. There are examples of ships with liquefied gas being redirected from European to Asian ports.
Believe in lower prices in 2022
While the gas price in the first half of 2021 was stable around two kroner per cubic meter, it rose to four kroner in September and, according to Dansk Energi, crept up to 16 kroner just before Christmas. But being a gas customer will probably not be that expensive in 2022, Jack Kristensen estimates.
- I am cautiously optimistic, as gas prices have fallen over and after Christmas and are trending downward, but there are still risks. A very cold winter in February or March will eat into stocks and could push the price up. The biggest risk is the potential conflict in Ukraine, says the function manager.
Gas is not the only form of energy that experienced large price increases at the end of 2021. Electricity also rose from a level of around 40 øre per kilowatt hour to a level of around 140 øre in December, and the oil price went from $50 per barrel in January to $80 at the end of November.
Ritzau
Text, graphics, images, sound, and other content on this website are protected under copyright law. DK Medier reserves all rights to the content, including the right to exploit the content for the purpose of text and data mining, cf. Section 11b of the Copyright Act and Article 4 of the DSM Directive.
Customers with IP agreements/major customer agreements may only share Danish Offshore Industry articles internally for the purpose of handling specific cases. Sharing in connection with specific cases refers to journaling, archiving, or similar uses.
Customers with a personal subscription/login may not share Danish Offshore Industry articles with individuals who do not themselves have a personal subscription to Danish Offshore Industry.
Any deviation from the above requires written consent from DK Medier.
