That sounds like some terrible bureaucracy coupled with some hybrid privatisation. I would be livid if my politicians allowed some company to profit off their de facto monopoly on a central heating grid.

The story of an efficient centralized system costing more than an inefficient decentralized one replays itself throughout the lives of Germans, resulting in impoverishment of the average German.

Germany is a very rich country with the poorest people in Europe. Germany has a huge amount of political and corruption problems and they are covered up well. You will be shocked by the tax rate too if you tried to earn an income. Median German households are the poorest in all of Europe. Don't just take my word for it either.

That sounds like way too much. Individual metering can't explain such a huge difference but I do wonder if they use that?