Electricity provider when moving home: cancelling, registering, tariff

What happens if you do nothing

If you move in and take electricity or gas without a contract, the default supplier (Grundversorger) supplies you automatically. This is usually the expensive option. There is more in the article ending default supply.

For electricity, a contract cannot be concluded retroactively, it must exist before you take the energy. This is how the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) describes it. For gas, supply on moving in or out can be assigned retroactively, for six weeks at most, if you agreed this in the contract beforehand.

Before moving out

• Set the move-out date and tell your provider.
• Read the electricity and gas meters and photograph them, with the date.
• Check whether your provider supplies you at the new address and on what terms.
• Keep an eye on the final bill (Schlussrechnung) and compare it with your photos.

Special cancellation when moving

Special cancellation rules often apply when you move. They depend on whether your current provider supplies the new address and on what terms. Look at your contract terms or ask us. We do not give the exact period and form here, because they depend on the individual case.

Rented flat and heating

In some apartment buildings, part of the supply runs through the landlord, for example the light in the stairwell. For the electricity in your flat you usually need a contract of your own.

Not every flat has a gas connection. Ask the landlord what is used for heating and hot water. Then you know whether you only need to register electricity or gas as well.

Before moving in

Tell us your move-in date, and we look for a suitable tariff beforehand. The contract should be in place before you switch on the first light. That way your supply starts straight away on the right tariff.

If you need figures for the comparison, the previous tenants’ bill or an estimate based on floor area and number of people helps. Then give the annual usage roughly, and the monthly instalment (Abschlag) can be adjusted later.

• Note the meter number and meter reading on moving in, with a photo.
• Keep the handover record if it contains meter readings.
• Check whether electricity and gas have separate contracts.

Two flats, double costs

If moving out and moving in are apart, you pay for two supply points for a while. Keep that time short by cancelling the old flat for the move-out date and registering the new one for the move-in date. Your new provider adjusts the monthly instalments later to your real usage.