Short Answer
Moving into a flat equipped with night storage heaters legally binds you to one of the most expensive and uncontrollable utility infrastructures in Germany.
These heavy, brick-filled units consume massive amounts of electricity during the night and slowly leak heat during the following day regardless of your immediate temperature needs.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You signed a lease on a charming old apartment without checking the mechanical operation of the bulky heaters mounted to the walls. You tried to adjust the room temperature during a winter cold snap, unaware that these vintage units must be pre-programmed twenty-four hours in advance to capture electricity during off-peak hours. Because you continuously adjusted the settings during premium daytime hours, you inflated your power consumption and received a retroactive electrical bill that cost you €1,400.
What To Do
- Call your electrical utility provider immediately to request a specialized dual-tariff meter plan for low-load night electricity.
- Turn down the output dial completely every morning to prevent the stored heat from venting into an empty apartment while you are at work.
- "Hat diese Wohnung eine Nachtspeicherheizung?" (Does this apartment have a night storage heating system?) — ask this exact question before signing any rental agreement for an older property.
The Truth
Germany’s energy regulations permit the continued operation of obsolete night storage heating systems in older residential buildings. The system shifts the entire financial burden of this thermodynamic inefficiency onto the tenant, offering no subsidies or caps for the resulting high power bills.