Energy costs—whether for gas, oil, and/or electricity—are higher in Germany than elsewhere in the world, a fact often overlooked by people moving to Germany for the first time. Unfortunately, they may later be surprised when they receive astronomical energy bills.

To help you understand how energy costs work, I created this guide to help you not only save energy in Germany but also money. It’s an added bonus that you’ll be doing your part for the planet as well.

ℹ️ For more ideas about how to save money in Germany, read our guide.

The first thing you need to know is that you’re not billed monthly for your utilities. While most people in Germany tend to pay electricity monthly and independent of their landlords, the final bill for other utilities like hot water and heating is only calculated at the end of the year. This final bill is called the Nebenkosten and is something your landlord will provide to you, usually close to the end of the following year. For example, I only received my Nebenkosten for 2023 in mid-December of 2024.

There are various reasons why this process takes so long, but among them is that the calculations are complex. Buildings have different energy sources, and property management forms have different cost-splitting methods, determining which expenses are shared and divided equally amongst everyone versus expenses assumed by individuals.

Energy costs can feel like a black hole for people new to this process. You have no insight into how much you’re consuming and no chance to adjust your habits until more than a year later. Good landlords will charge you the appropriate warm rent (Warmmiete), which should theoretically cover all energy expenses for the year. Still, all too often, foreigners in Germany receive a nasty surprise when they get their Nebenkosten and find themselves owing hundreds or even thousands of euros.

To clarify, rental costs in Germany have two components. The first is your cold rent (Kaltmiete), which covers the basic cost of renting the space, and the warm rent, which covers the cost of utilities like hot water, heating, and more. These two costs equal your monthly rent and will be clearly outlined in your rental contract. Landlords should charge you anticipated warm costs for the year, broken into twelve monthly installments, so if all goes to plan, your Nebenkosten will be close to that amount.

If your landlord is honest and you’re mindful of your energy consumption, achieving this should not be too hard. This is a case in point for me, as I owed about €70 last year and will get back around €40 this year. However, not all landlords are honest, and if you’re new to Germany, it will take time to learn what your energy consumption expenses will be.

Follow our list full of obvious and not-so-obvious tips about how to save energy in Germany. Some tips help you more than others, but we feel strongly that every bit counts.

1) Change How You Heat Your Home

Some no-brainers are to keep the heat on low, only heat the rooms you’re in, and turn the heat off when you’re not home.

🌡️ Smart Heating Switches

If you want to be fancy, we recommend purchasing smart heating switches that work with Alexa or via an app. The switches allow you to remotely turn on your heat before getting home from work or set a schedule to turn off the heat soon after falling asleep.

We recommend these ones, which work with the typical radiators in German flats.

♨ Portable Space Heaters

You can also get a portable space heater, but only after researching whether it’s really going to reduce your energy consumption, as it could actually end up costing you more.

🎚Hygrometers

An unfortunate effect of keeping your house cool is the potential for mold build-up. When drying clothes, do it in a big, well-ventilated room, open the windows to bring in some fresh air, and/or pump up the heat briefly. Another tip is to air out your flat, one room at a time.

If you want to know how humid it is in your flat, think about buying a hygrometer. I have the SwitchBot one and found it super useful to track temperature and humidity levels at home.

2) Find Alternative Ways To Stay Warm … Or Cool

There’s always the option of cuddling up with a loved one, be it a canine, feline, human companion, or piling on layers of clothes. But how else can you stay warm?

Go to bed with a hot water bottle or use an electric blanket. While purchasing an electric blanket made me feel like an elderly grandma, I use it all of the time during winter, and it’s now one of my favorite things, as it makes me feel cozy and warm. Thermal socks and a plush bathrobe help as well. 

💧 Hot Water Bottles

🛏️ Electric Blankets

🧦 Thermal Socks

🧖‍♀️ Bathrobes 

😴 Weighted Blankets

Many people these days are opting for weighted blankets. They do take a while to get used to sleeping with, but they really do wonders to keep you warm and ensure a good night’s sleep.

🥶 Cooling Blankets

Try a cooling blanket if you’re looking for ways to remain cool in the summer months. They’re great for sleeping, curling up on the couch, or taking with you on a camping trip. I’ve found my cooling blanket life-changing during hot summer nights without AC, finding it kept me cool and allowed me to sleep peacefully.

3) Be Mindful When Washing Dishes 

In almost all cases, you save more energy by using the dishwasher versus washing dishes by hand. Of course, there are things you still need to wash by hand, like wooden cutting boards or chef’s knives, but you can bring that to a minimum.

When using your dishwasher, only run a wash when it’s full and use an eco-setting.

Similarly, if you hand wash, only wash when the sink is full. Washing several times throughout the day only uses up more water. Further to that, use warm water versus really hot water, fill the sink with a small amount of water for washing, and don’t leave the water running for long periods of time. Although I’m skeptical, expert advice even says that rinsing soap off isn’t necessary. 

If you’re purchasing a new dishwasher, buy an energy-saving one.

4) Take A Shower Instead of Bathing

While I’m pretty precious about regularly having long bubble baths, I’ve since altered my behavior. Common advice is to take shorter showers at lower temperatures and less frequently and there’s no need for a scalding hot shower. Even better is turning off the water when applying shampoo and conditioner or lathering up with soap.

When you brush your teeth, don’t leave the water running and the same applies when washing your hands.

🚿 Showerheads

A solid idea is to buy an energy-efficient shower head, as well as use a flow limiter.

🛀 Turban Towels

You can also skip using a hair dryer and towel dry your hair with a super absorbent fast-drying towel. I love using hair turbans. On the weekends, you’ll often find me lounging on the sofa with a coffee, wearing a robe and my turban, and giving myself a facial treatment. It’s like being at the spa, but at home, and it’s one of my favourite routines. 

5) Get Smart With Your Lights

If you’re not in the room, turn off the lights. Make your home more romantic and cozy by using candles. 

💡 LED Light Bulbs

🌟 SMART LED Bulbs

You can also get smart bulbs that work with Alexa and Apple Home, as well as other apps. You can walk into a room and say, “Hey Alexa, turn on the lights,” or even schedule a morning wake-up call to a special colored light.

6) Care For Your Windows

Another way to save energy in Germany is to close your windows to keep the heat in, especially at night. As much as you like fresh air, limit how often and for how long you keep your windows open. When temperatures drop, keep the curtains or blinds closed at night, too. This encloses the heat inside your flat and ensures the cold stays out where it belongs.

The same applies in summer when your apartment gets unbearably hot. In the summer, my flat’s windows are hot to the touch. As such, I keep my curtains and windows closed for the first half of the day to trap the cool air in and keep the heat out. I open the windows and curtains after lunch when the outdoor temperature is much cooler.

🪟 Blackout Curtains

Consider buying a thermal blackout curtain to help even more. There are plenty of affordable options available.

Some other energy-saving tips? Make sure your curtains don’t cover your radiators or air conditioning unit, as it will limit the flow of heat or cold air through your flat. It’s also a good idea to make sure your radiators aren’t blocked by furniture either.

7) Switch Up Your Laundry Routine

While it’s time-consuming and tedious, you can hand wash your nicer items of clothing. Only run a wash when you have a full load, use an eco-option, avoid long washes that go on for hours, and don’t run a wash using high temperatures. A colder wash (40 degrees or less) can reduce energy use by up to 80%! Use detergent that cleans your clothes efficiently and won’t require a re-wash.

If you’re one of those rare unicorns who have a dryer in Germany, avoid using it altogether and hang your clothes, towels, and bedding on a rack to dry. Lastly, If you’re buying a new appliance, look for an energy-saving washing machine.

8) Refine Your Cooking Habits

Using your oven and stove less will help you reduce your energy consumption. Using some of your small appliances instead, like a microwave, toaster oven, panini press, etc. is an excellent alternative.

Another power move (pun intended!) to help you save energy in Germany is unplugging your appliances when you’re not using them. This includes things like a blender, coffee maker, toaster, power bar, and more. Over the long run, you’ll save a significant amount of cash.

🍽️ Hot Plates/Induction Hobs

Some people opt to purchase hot plates/induction hobs. When I first moved into my new flat, I used one for months as I waited for my new kitchen to be installed. It actually worked quite well. A bonus is that they can be taken on camping trips, or days at your garden house. 

🍳 Air Fryers

I finally caved and bought an air fryer, and I can seriously say it changed my life. I use it to roast vegetables, make homemade french fries, and cook meat to perfection. It uses way less energy and doesn’t radiate as much heat into your already sweltering apartment in summer. 

🚰 Energy Saving Tap Attachments

Another way to save energy is to buy energy savings tap attachments (aerators). 

🔌 Smart Plugs

Smart plugs are another great option to save electricity. Usually, the plugs are compatible with apps like Alexa, and you can shut them off and turn them on with a simple voice command. You can also set schedules, such as automatically turning on your coffee maker each morning. 

9) Seek Ecofriendly Ways To Keep Your Flat Cool

German summers are getting dryer and hotter, and our homes turn into saunas, with many flats not having air conditioning. Even getting naked doesn’t seem to help, and not feeling perpetually exhausted is a major challenge.

Buy a fan. Heck, buy all of the fans. I recommend an oscillating tower fan as they distribute and move the air more than any other type. Many of them are on wheels and easily move from room to room. If possible, splurge on one for each bedroom so everyone has a fan to help them sleep peacefully at night.

Yes, fans use electricity, so use them sparingly, but it’s much better than having to fork out money for an air conditioner, a notorious consumer of electricity.

🪭 Fans

🆒 Mobile Air Conditioners

The best investment I ever made, which I’ve used faithfully every summer for five years, is a mobile air conditioner. It’s not an air conditioner that you need to install in a window frame or be connected to a hose, but essentially, a fan with a water tank that you can add ice packs to and then have it blow out cold air. The air is not as cold as a real air conditioner, but it uses way less electricity and is much more environmentally friendly.

𖣘 Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are no longer the home decor eyesores they used to be.

10) Share The Chill With Your Pets

It’s not only us who suffer during extreme heat; our precious fur babies suffer, too. 

🐶 Pet Drinking Fountains

I have two cats who really feel the long, hot days of summer, so I bought a fountain that excited them about drinking water and helped keep them hydrated.

Adding extra bowls of water around different rooms in the flat also helped.

🐈 Cooling Mats

Cooling mats are another great way to allow pets to curl up for a snooze on a cool surface. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and patterns. You can add the mats to their bed or even in their crates. You can wash and easily fold them to store them away during colder times.

Our Bonus Tips

Some other information about saving energy in Germany:

⭐ Reduce how much you watch TV and how long you leave it on for – don’t fall asleep and leave it running all night.

⭐ We’ve seen advice telling people to turn off their modems when they aren’t using the internet. Don’t turn your modem off at night, as it can mess with your bandwidth and cause modem issue.

⭐ Read even more tips from the government on how to save energy in Germany. 

That concludes our eight top ways to save energy in Germany. What are you doing to save money on energy? Let’s all learn from one another and drop us your tips by leaving a comment below.

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