Electricity Contract Checklist Germany 2026: What to Check for Power and Gas
This checklist helps you check your electricity contract before you sign. The Verbraucherzentrale recommends a term of no more than 12 months and a cancellation period of no more than one month, plus a price guarantee for the whole term and no prepayment. Since 1 January 2026, the technical switch has had to be completed within 24 hours. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, this has so far only been implemented for electricity.
By the CheckAlle Editorial Team · Last updated: 23 September 2026
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Key Takeaways for Your Electricity Contract
- · Verbraucherzentrale recommendation: term of no more than 12 months, cancellation period of no more than one month.
- · The price guarantee should cover the full contract term (watch out for a "limited" price guarantee).
- · Since 1 January 2026, the technical switch has had to be completed within 24 hours (§ 20a EnWG). According to the Verbraucherzentrale, this has so far only been implemented for electricity, not for gas.
- · Special cancellation right on a price increase: as a rule, without notice, effective when the increase takes effect (§ 41 Abs. 5 EnWG).
- · No prepayment, no package pricing, never pick a tariff based on the bonus alone.
Your electricity contract checklist in 10 points
This checklist is sorted by phase. Go through it before you sign anything.
Preparation
- Note your annual consumption in kWh from your last bill (Stromspiegel average without electric water heating: 2 people about 1,900 kWh in a flat or 2,700 kWh in a house, 4 people 2,600 or 3,800 kWh)
- Note down your meter number and current reading
- Check the cancellation period in your current contract (it is in your contract or the terms and conditions; in basic supply it is two weeks)
New Contract
- Contract term of no more than 12 months (Verbraucherzentrale recommendation)
- Cancellation period of no more than one month (Verbraucherzentrale recommendation)
- Price guarantee for the full contract term, ideally a full one (watch out for a limited price guarantee)
- No prepayment (Vorauskasse) and no package pricing
- Check the price from the second year onward, without the bonus
Switch
- For a regular switch, the new provider usually cancels your old contract on your behalf
- Read your meter on the switch date and report it to both providers
How the 24-hour switch works
Since 1 January 2026, § 20a EnWG requires the technical supplier switch to be completed within 24 hours and to be possible on every business day. For electricity, the process has been running like this since 6 June 2025, according to the Bundesnetzagentur.
Important: the 24-hour window covers the technical switch between the grid operator and your new supplier, not your cancellation period with the old provider. If your current contract still runs longer, let it end or check for a special cancellation right. One example is a house move: as a household customer you can then cancel with six weeks' notice, unless your provider offers you continued supply at the new address on the previous terms within two weeks and supply there is possible (§ 41b Abs. 5 EnWG).
What about gas? The law refers broadly to switching energy suppliers. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, the 24-hour process has so far only been implemented for electricity, not for gas. Either way, the switching procedure may not take longer than three weeks from the network registration, unless your requested delivery date is later (§ 20a Abs. 2 EnWG).
Ready to switch? See the step-by-step process at electricity deals Germany or compare gas at Compare Gas Germany.
Important points in your electricity contract
Three points decide how flexible your electricity contract keeps you: contract term, notice period and price guarantee. The Verbraucherzentrale recommends a term of at most 12 months and a notice period of at most one month.
Contract Term
The Verbraucherzentrale recommends no more than 12 months. A longer commitment only makes sense with a genuinely good price and a full price guarantee for the whole term.
Cancellation Period
The Verbraucherzentrale recommends no more than one month. After the first year, the contract should ideally be cancellable with one month's notice.
Price Guarantee
At least as long as the contract term. Check for a "limited" guarantee, where taxes and levies can still rise.
Special cancellation: ending your electricity contract after a price increase
Your provider raises the price? As a rule, you can cancel without notice, effective the date the increase takes effect. The legal basis is § 41 Abs. 5 EnWG.
- · Notice from the provider: at least one month before it takes effect for household customers, at least two weeks for other final consumers.
- · Your window to cancel: the cancellation must reach the provider before the increase takes effect. If the notice arrives on time, you as a household customer have at least one month.
- · Exception: if the provider only passes on an unchanged VAT change, there is no special cancellation right (§ 41 Abs. 6 EnWG).
- · Who cancels: the Verbraucherzentrale recommends declaring the special cancellation yourself. You can also instruct your new provider to do it. What matters is that it reaches the old provider before the increase takes effect.
The Verbraucherzentrale provides a free template letter. Send your cancellation in a way you can prove was delivered, for example by registered post. Providers where you can conclude a contract online must also offer a cancellation button since 1 July 2022 (§ 312k BGB).
What if your provider goes bankrupt?
It happens. At the end of 2021, several German electricity and gas suppliers stopped delivery at short notice (Verbraucherzentrale). If your provider stops delivering, the local basic supplier takes over your supply as a replacement supply (Ersatzversorgung) under § 38 EnWG. Your electricity and gas keep flowing.
The replacement supply ends after three months at the latest (§ 38 Abs. 4 EnWG), and its tariff is usually more expensive than other tariffs, according to the Bundesnetzagentur. Read your meter, report the reading to the grid operator, the basic supplier, and your previous provider, and find a new contract in good time. The insolvency alone, by the way, does not give you a special right to cancel.
How to reduce the risk:
- · Check whether the provider is registered with BNetzA and has been active for several years.
- · Avoid prepayment tariffs. If the provider collapses, that money is gone.
- · Read independent guidance, for example the Stiftung Warentest guide to switching electricity providers.
Electricity contract traps to avoid
- · Prepayment: you pay a year's consumption upfront. If the provider fails, recovering that money is hard.
- · Package pricing: you buy a fixed amount of electricity. Unused remaining amounts usually expire, and extra consumption is often quite expensive (Verbraucherportal Baden-Württemberg).
- · Long terms with a limited price guarantee: taxes and levies can still rise and be passed on to you. As a rule you then have a special right to cancel (§ 41 Abs. 5 EnWG), except when only a VAT change is passed on unchanged (§ 41 Abs. 6 EnWG), but you need to act quickly.
- · Bonus-only focus: the tariff looks cheap in year 1, but bonus tariffs are often especially expensive from the second contract year onward, according to the Verbraucherzentrale. Always compare the price without the bonus.
Consumer rights and dispute resolution
If your provider breaks the agreement, for example by delaying the final bill or pushing through an incorrect price increase, the Verbraucherzentrale and the Schlichtungsstelle Energie can help:
Verbraucherzentrale
The Verbraucherzentrale advises on contract questions and checks price increases and contract clauses. verbraucherzentrale.de/themen/energie
Schlichtungsstelle Energie
Mediates disputes between consumers and energy providers. Condition: you must have complained to the provider first (no set format required, though writing to them is useful proof) and received no resolution within 4 weeks. Free for consumers as a rule. schlichtungsstelle-energie.de
When does switching pay off?
A comparison is especially worthwhile if you are still in basic supply (Grundversorgung) or have not checked your tariff in a while. Finanztip calculated for an electricity consumption of 3,000 kWh a year: switching from basic electricity supply to one of the cheapest tariffs Finanztip recommends can save 200 to 300 euros a year (as of 22 September 2026). Your own figure depends on your consumption, location, and current tariff.
Also take a look at dynamic electricity tariffs 2026 or cheap green electricity. The checklist above applies there too.
Frequently asked questions about your electricity contract
How long does switching electricity providers take in Germany?
Since 1 January 2026, the technical switch must be completed within 24 hours and be possible on every business day (§ 20a Abs. 2 EnWG). That covers only the process between the grid operator and the supplier; your cancellation period with the old provider is not affected. The law refers broadly to switching energy suppliers. According to the Verbraucherzentrale, the 24-hour process has so far only been implemented for electricity, not for gas.
What is a price guarantee?
A price guarantee keeps your price stable for a fixed period, for example 12 months. With a full price guarantee, all price components are covered according to Finanztip, including taxes and statutory levies. With a limited price guarantee, some components are not covered, usually taxes, levies and surcharges, so they can still rise. Your electricity contract states which variant you have.
Can I cancel immediately if the price rises?
As a rule, yes. If your provider raises the price, § 41 Abs. 5 EnWG lets you cancel without notice, effective the date the increase takes effect. The provider must inform household customers at least one month in advance, and other final consumers at least two weeks in advance. You do not have this special right if only a VAT change is passed on unchanged (§ 41 Abs. 6 EnWG).
What happens if my provider goes bankrupt?
If your provider stops delivering, the local basic supplier takes over as a replacement supply (Ersatzversorgung, § 38 EnWG). You do not go without electricity or gas. The replacement supply ends after three months at the latest, and its tariff is usually more expensive than other tariffs, according to the Bundesnetzagentur. Read your meter, report the reading, and find a new contract in good time. The insolvency alone does not give you a special right to cancel.
How much can I save per year?
It depends on your consumption, your location, and your current tariff. Finanztip calculated for an annual consumption of 3,000 kWh: switching from basic supply to one of the cheapest tariffs Finanztip recommends can save 200 to 300 euros a year (as of 22 September 2026). A comparison with your own numbers is the only way to know your actual figure.
What should I watch with bonus payments?
According to the Verbraucherzentrale, payout often requires 12 months of actual supply. That supply period is not the same as the contract term. If you cancel at the end of the first contract year, the bonus can therefore be forfeited; your contract terms decide. Also compare the price from the second year onward, since bonus tariffs are often especially expensive after that.
Do I need to cancel my old contract myself?
Usually not for a regular switch: the new provider handles that on your behalf. For a special cancellation over a price increase, the Verbraucherzentrale recommends declaring it yourself. According to the Bundesnetzagentur, you can also instruct your new supplier to do it for you. What matters is that the cancellation reaches the old provider before the increase takes effect.
Do I need a smart meter to switch?
No, your existing meter is enough for a normal switch. A smart metering system is installed by the metering point operator. It is mandatory, for example, from 6,000 kWh of annual consumption, for controllable consumption devices under § 14a EnWG, and for generation plants above 7 kW. Below these thresholds, the metering point operator decides. You need such a system for a dynamic electricity tariff.
Ready to switch?
Compare electricity and gas now, free of charge; since 2026, the technical electricity switch has had to be completed within 24 hours.
Deutsch: Energie-Vertrag Checkliste 2026 · Türkçe: Enerji Sözleşme Kontrol 2026