Contract term, notice period and price guarantee on an electricity contract

Term and renewal

The term (Laufzeit) tells you how long you are tied to the contract. Some tariffs have a fixed initial term, others run without a minimum term. When the term is over, a contract is often renewed automatically if you do not cancel.

For household customers, the law limits how long contracts may be renewed and how long notice periods may be. The exact values also depend on the date the contract was concluded, so we do not give figures here. What counts is what your contract confirmation says.

Where to find the details

Providers must state the term, notice period and bonus conditions before the contract is concluded, as § 41 EnWG (Energy Industry Act) requires. Later you will find the details in these places:

• in the contract confirmation after you sign up
• on the annual bill (Jahresabrechnung), often as “Vertragsende” or “Vertragslaufzeit”
• in your provider’s customer portal
• in the general terms and conditions of your tariff

Still within your term?

That is no obstacle. You can prepare the switch now, and the new contract then starts at the end of the old one. That way you save from the first day after the end of the contract (Vertragsende) without missing anything. If your bill shows no end of contract, we look it up together.

One exception is the special right of cancellation when your provider raises prices. How that works is explained in the article on special cancellation after a price rise.

Reading a price guarantee correctly

With a price guarantee (Preisgarantie), the provider promises not to raise certain parts of the price for a fixed period. There are full and limited guarantees. With a limited one, taxes, levies or grid fees are often excluded and can be passed on.

How far the guarantee goes is stated in the tariff concerned. We tell you with every suggestion.

New customer bonus: is it worth it?

Sometimes. A bonus makes the first year cheaper, and after that the tariff often becomes more expensive. So work it out over the whole term. An example: a bonus of 100 euros on 3,000 kilowatt hours comes to about 3.3 cents per kilowatt hour in the first year. If the price is 4 cents higher in the second year, you pay 120 euros more, and the advantage is gone.

Also watch the conditions. Many providers pay no bonus if you were already their customer in the last few months. It is often paid out only after the first annual bill.

What belongs in a cancellation

If you cancel yourself, write a short message in text form (Textform). It should include these details:

• your name and the address of the supply point
• customer number and meter number
• the date you want to cancel for
• a request for a confirmation stating the end of the contract

Your checklist

Note down these five points, and you will not miss a deadline: end of contract, notice period, renewal, end of the price guarantee and bonus conditions. If you like, we remind you before your notice period. To do that you tick a box with us. Without your consent we do not send reminders.