Setting up electricity and gas when you move into a flat in Germany

Before you start

• The address and move-in date of your new home
• Access to the electricity meter (and the gas meter, if the flat has its own gas boiler or stove)
• A bank account for the monthly instalments (see the bank account guide)

Documents you need

• Rental contract

  Shows what the rent covers (for example heating and hot water) and what you must arrange yourself.

  required

• Meter number and meter reading on your move-in day

  Written in the handover protocol and photographed. The meter number is printed on the meter.

  required

• Market location ID (Marktlokations-ID), if available

  An identifier for your supply point, printed on energy bills. The Bundesnetzagentur calls it the most reliable way for a new supplier to identify your meter; if you do not have it yet, the meter number is enough.

  optional

• IBAN for the direct debit

  required

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check what your rent already covers

   Look at your rental contract and the list of service charges:

   • Heating and hot water. If they are part of the service charges (Heizkosten, Warmwasser), you do not need your own gas contract for them.
   • Gas boiler or gas stove in the flat. You need your own gas supply and will have a gas meter in or near the flat.
   • Electricity. Almost always your own contract. In shared flats (WG) and furnished flats, it is often included in an all-in rent, so check.
2. 2

   Step 2: Read the meters on move-in day

   This is the single most important step. On the day you get the keys:

   1. Find the electricity meter (often in the basement, the stairwell or a cupboard in the flat) and, if relevant, the gas meter.
   2. Note the meter number (Zählernummer) and the meter reading (Zählerstand), and take a clear photo of each with the date.
   3. Ask the landlord to include both in the handover protocol (Übergabeprotokoll).

   The reading separates your consumption from the previous tenant's. You will need it for your supplier, and the grid operator also asks for readings when people move in or out. In Berlin, Stromnetz Berlin accepts readings through its customer portal.

3. 3

   Step 3: Register with a supplier (or let the basic supply start)

   You have two options.

   Option A: let the basic supply start. Simply use energy. A supply contract with the basic supplier is formed by your use. You should then tell the basic supplier without delay that you have moved in, with your meter number and reading, so that bills go to you. In Berlin, that is Vattenfall for electricity and GASAG for gas. You can leave the basic supply at any time with two weeks' notice.

   Option B: sign a contract before you move in. If you want a particular tariff from day one, sign it before your move-in date. The Bundesnetzagentur points out that supply cannot generally be assigned to a new supplier retroactively once you have moved in (there are limited exceptions for gas). You can also take a cheaper special contract with the basic supplier itself.

   Either way, there is no interruption: the basic supply covers you until the new contract starts.

4. 4

   Step 4: Compare tariffs carefully

   Commercial comparison portals (for example Check24 or Verivox) and suppliers' own websites list tariffs. You need your postcode and an estimate of your annual consumption in kilowatt hours (kWh). If you do not know it, use the portal's estimate for your household size, then adjust it after your first annual bill.

   The Verbraucherzentrale (consumer advice centre) recommends changing the default filters:

   • do not include bonuses in the price, because they usually only apply in the first year;
   • show total annual cost, not "recommended" or "popular" tariffs, and one tariff per supplier;
   • for normal household electricity, choose fixed-price tariffs rather than dynamic ones;
   • avoid tariffs with prepayment (Vorkasse) or a deposit, because you can lose money if the supplier becomes insolvent.

   Your contract partner is the supplier, not the portal, so check the price and terms on the supplier's own website before you sign. Price guarantees often exclude taxes, levies and network charges, which can make up a large part of the price. A contract of about 12 months with a price guarantee keeps you flexible.

5. 5

   Step 5: Sign the new contract and let the new supplier handle the switch

   When you sign, give your address, meter number, previous supplier and, ideally, the market location ID. The new supplier cancels the old contract for you and arranges the switch with the grid operator. Cancelling and switching are free for households.

   Since 6 June 2025, the technical switch for electricity is completed within 24 hours and is possible on any working day. Your contract dates still depend on the notice period of your old contract.

   If you signed online or by phone, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal (Widerruf) for distance contracts.

6. 6

   Step 6: Set up the monthly instalment and keep your bills

   You pay a fixed monthly instalment (Abschlag) based on expected consumption: roughly (annual kWh × unit price + annual standing charge) divided by the number of instalments. Once a year you receive a statement (Jahresabrechnung) based on a meter reading. It shows whether you paid too much (a credit, Guthaben) or too little (a back-payment, Nachzahlung).

   • The supplier must send the bill no later than six weeks after the end of the billing period, and the final bill no later than six weeks after the contract ends.
   • A credit must be set off against the next instalment or paid out within two weeks.
   • If your instalment seems too high or too low, ask the supplier to adjust it. Raising it voluntarily avoids a large back-payment if you use a lot of electricity, for example when working from home.
7. 7

   Step 7: Keep an eye on price changes

   Your supplier must inform you of a price change at least one month before it takes effect, explaining the reason and scope. If prices go up or the terms change, you may cancel without notice, effective on the date the change takes effect, at no cost. This is the moment to compare again.

Basic supply, special contracts and substitute supply

Contract rules that protect you (2026)

What changed for prices in 2026

Smart meters and dynamic tariffs

If something goes wrong

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Assuming the landlord or previous tenant has arranged electricity. In most flats, you must tell a supplier yourself.
• Staying in the expensive basic supply for years because nothing forces you to switch.
• Forgetting to cancel or move the contract when you move out. Use your moving notice right (six weeks) and give a final meter reading.
• Ignoring the annual statement. Check the meter readings on it against your own photos.

Tips

• Take a photo of the meter every time you read it, and keep all readings in one place.
• Put a reminder in your calendar a few weeks before your minimum term or price guarantee ends, so you can compare again.
• If you work from home or use electric heating, set a realistic consumption estimate from the start to avoid a large back-payment.
• The basic supplier also offers special contracts. Asking for its cheapest special tariff is a quick way to save without changing company.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Read your meters and arrange electricityAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 2 Feb 2027.