Reader question: What exactly do I need to object to and within what time limit?
You have received a heating costs statement and find an item incomprehensible. A prompt enquiry is sensible. However, where the HeizKG applies it should become clear in good time whether you merely want an explanation or whether you actually object to a specific statement. A mere “Please call back” does not yet indicate an error.
Recognise the appropriate statutory basis
§ 24 HeizKG contains a consequence of approval: insofar as no written, reasoned objections are raised against a properly presented statement within six months of the billing, it is deemed approved in the relationship between consumer and supplier. [HeizKG24]
The term properly presented is a prerequisite, not an invitation to treat missing documents as a safe extension of the deadline. Have the start and end of the specific deadline checked. The scope of application of the HeizKG follows from its own rules; an arbitrary single gas supply invoice does not fall under this procedure merely because it uses the word heating. [HeizKG3]
Make the contested item locatable
Our editorial recommendation: state the billing period, property, billing date and the specific item. Then describe why you consider it incorrect or not understandable. For example, the identified devices do not match your records or the carried-over initial reading contradicts an available meter-reading slip.
A general suspicion “I could never have heated that much” is understandable as a reason to check. For a manageable objection you should, however, add the anomalous value, your counter-information and the clarification you want. Do not assert a measurement error that no one has yet professionally determined.
Plan document inspection and objection together
§ 17 governs billing, information and inspection of the records. [HeizKG17] Ask for the documents you need, without losing sight of any looming possible deadline. If documents are missing, have it checked in good time how you can effectively raise the objections already apparent and what additions are required.
Keep your statement together with attachments and a suitable proof of delivery. A telephone explanation can be useful, but by itself does not satisfy the written form required by § 24. This article does not supply an untested universal postage template and does not confirm any individual start of the deadline.
A fictitious device comparison
In the invented case Elias has a heat cost allocator recorded whose identifier does not match his documented device replacement. Elias cites the relevant line, the replacement date and both identifiers on record. He asks for the device allocation to be checked and states in writing why he objects to this consumption item.
He does not claim that this automatically makes all building costs wrong. The supplier can now carry out a concrete comparison. If no error is found, the response remains verifiable because it refers to the same devices and periods.
Payment is an additional matter
An objection raised and the due date for an additional payment are not simply the same point to be reviewed. This article does not promise an automatic suspension of payment. Agree how to deal with a disputed charge separately on the basis of the actual statement and your written correspondence.
The aim is a timely, comprehensible statement: what you object to, why and with which documents. A clearly formulated statement of facts helps both with a correction and with the decision about further advice or proceedings.