ExtraEnergie

ExtraEnergie GmbH is a German independent energy supplier headquartered in Monheim am Rhein that operates nationwide as an energy discounter. Founded in July 2008, the company began selling electricity products in the fourth quarter of 2009 and added gas in mid-2010. It markets itself as a virtual energy supplier, buying energy on the wholesale market and feeding it into distribution networks rather than operating its own generation assets. By 2012 it reported having acquired more than one million customers since its founding and annual revenue of EUR 1.021 billion, placing it among the ten largest energy providers in the German residential market by its own account. The company pursues a multi-brand strategy under the ExtraEnergie umbrella, with the brands extraenergie, prioenergie and HitEnergie, further differentiated into extrastrom and extragas, priostrom and priogas, and HitStrom and HitGas. It sells to both private and business customers, offering tariffs with 12- or 24-month terms, price guarantees, and options with or without new-customer bonuses, as well as consumption-independent and package tariffs. Payment is made through monthly instalments, and the company states that it does not require prepayment. Distribution relies on its own website, direct sales, and price comparison portals such as Check24 and Verivox, with online channels accounting for more than half of contracts. ExtraEnergie positions itself around environmental protection, offering only green electricity from 100 percent renewable sources and 100 percent climate-neutral gas. Its green electricity is certified by TÜV Nord, with CO2 emissions offset through investments in climate protection projects, and the company also offsets emissions from the extraction, transport and combustion of natural gas. Its published electricity labelling shows a product mix for Normalstrom with 9.08 g/kWh CO2 emissions and a total energy-carrier mix of 17.76 g/kWh, with renewable energy volumes backed by guarantees of origin from Spain, Portugal, France and Norway. The company has faced significant consumer-protection criticism, particularly over late and incorrect annual billing in early 2012, which it attributed to rapid customer growth and poor data from metering companies. Consumer advice centres in North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony brought legal actions, and in December 2015 the Landgericht Düsseldorf ruled that ExtraEnergie's notifications of price increases were invalid; an appeal was rejected by the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf in October 2016. A 2018 study ranked ExtraEnergie as the electricity provider with the third-most consumer complaints. ExtraEnergie is a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company Glotec Ventures and is managed by managing director Mordechay Maurice Ben-Moshe.

ExtraEnergie GmbH was founded in July 2008 as an independent energy provider in Germany. Sales activities began in the fourth quarter of 2009 with electricity products, and the portfolio was expanded to include gas in mid-2010. According to its annual financial statements for the 2011 financial year, the company gained 540,000 new customers in 2011. At the end of July 2012, the company announced that it had acquired more than one million customers since its founding, placing it among the ten largest energy providers out of more than 1,100 different suppliers in the German residential market by its own account. In mid-2012, ExtraEnergie became a member of the Verband für Wärmelieferung (VfW), committing as a seal holder to regular participation in qualification seminars. The company describes itself as a so-called virtual energy supplier, buying energy on the market and feeding it into distribution network operators (VNB). It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company Glotec Ventures. Under the ExtraEnergie brand umbrella, the company operates the three brands extraenergie, prioenergie and HitEnergie, with further product differentiation into extrastrom and extragas, priostrom and priogas, and HitStrom and HitGas. ExtraEnergie focuses on environmental protection, offering exclusively green electricity from 100 percent renewable sources and 100 percent climate-neutral gas. The green electricity certified by TÜV Nord guarantees an electricity mix whose CO2 emissions are offset through investments in climate protection projects. Pollutants generated during the combustion, extraction, transport and processing of natural gas are also offset through investments in climate protection projects. The company sells various tariffs to both private and business customers. All tariffs share a waiver of prepayment and include a price fixation (price guarantee). Consumers can choose between tariffs with a contract term of 12 or 24 months and tariffs with or without a new-customer bonus. In addition to consumption-independent tariffs, the company also offers package tariffs with a prescribed minimum consumption quantity. Payment for energy supply is made in monthly instalments. ExtraEnergie pursues a multi-brand strategy across various distribution channels, including its own website and cooperation with various sales partners such as direct sales and internet price comparison portals like Check24 or Verivox. Although a broad spectrum of distribution channels is used, the online market dominates with over 50 percent of contracts. ExtraEnergie faced criticism especially at the beginning of 2012, with most allegations concerning late and incorrect annual billing. The company responded in writing several times, explaining that the problem arose from strong customer growth at the beginning of 2011 and the poor quality of information from regulated meter-reading companies on which it depended, leading to reduced service quality. According to the company, this was addressed through building service capacity and a comprehensive quality programme. A 2018 study ranked ExtraEnergie as the electricity provider with the third-most consumer complaints. Some customers also complained that instalments were not adjusted downward after lower consumption. The Verbraucherzentrale NRW filed a class action before the Landgericht Düsseldorf against ExtraEnergie. In a Welt article, the company stated that, unlike a basic supplier, ExtraEnergie is more of a virtual energy trader; since such virtual energy traders do not have the 'connection privilege of basic suppliers', the statutory regulations for basic suppliers would apply 'only as a guiding principle' but would naturally be implemented where possible. WDR reported that despite a paid price guarantee, consumer prices had been increased, and that the company communicated price increases in emails 'hidden at the end'. On 9 December 2015, the Landgericht Düsseldorf declared ExtraEnergie GmbH's notifications of price increases invalid. The Verbraucherzentrale Sachsen had sued because price increases were communicated in long, seemingly unimportant emails. The appeal against this was rejected by the Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf on 20 October 2016. Nevertheless, ExtraEnergie continued this practice subsequently, so that the Landgericht imposed a penalty payment of EUR 7,500 and initiated profit skimming proceedings.

• 2018

  Study ranks ExtraEnergie as the electricity provider with the third-most consumer complaints.

• 2016

  Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf rejects appeal against the ruling on 20 October.

• 2015

  Landgericht Düsseldorf declares ExtraEnergie's price increase notifications invalid on 9 December.

• 2012

  Company announces over one million customers acquired since founding; becomes member of Verband für Wärmelieferung (VfW).

• 2011

  540,000 new customers gained according to annual financial statements.

• 2010

  Product portfolio expanded to include gas in mid-2010.

• 2009

  Sales activities begin in the fourth quarter with electricity products.

• 2008

  ExtraEnergie founded in July as an independent energy provider.

Energy discounter offering transparent, flexible and cost-efficient green electricity and climate-neutral gas with price guarantees and no prepayment.

• extrastrom

  Green electricity tariff under the extraenergie brand.

• extragas

  Climate-neutral gas tariff under the extraenergie brand.

• priostrom

  Green electricity tariff under the prioenergie brand.

• priogas

  Climate-neutral gas tariff under the prioenergie brand.

• HitStrom

  Green electricity tariff under the HitEnergie brand.

• HitGas

  Climate-neutral gas tariff under the HitEnergie brand.

1. 1extraenergie | Top Strom- & Gastarife – Jetzt wechseln & sparenextraenergie.com
2. 2extraenergie | Ihr zuverlässiger Energiepartner in Deutschlandextraenergie.com
3. 3extraenergie | Stromkennzeichnungextraenergie.com
4. 4extraenergie | Nutzungsbedingungenextraenergie.com
5. 5ExtraEnergiewikidata.org
6. 6ExtraEnergiede.wikipedia.org