Electricity & gas in Romania: your rights

The market

All households can choose their electricity and gas supplier and switch as often as they like, free of charge. The switch is done online through ANRE's POSF platform.

Energy regulator

Autoritatea Națională de Reglementare în Domeniul Energiei (ANRE)

Compare prices official

Comparatorul de oferte-tip ANRE (POSF)

Switching supplier

Switching is free; no fees may be charged. Your new supplier arranges it and the technical switch takes 24 hours via POSF. Early-exit fees are allowed only for fixed-term, fixed-price contracts. You get a final bill within 42 days.

Price rises

Your supplier must notify you directly at least 30 days before a price change takes effect and tell you that you may end the contract if you do not accept it.

Regulated price

Supply prices are set by the market, not by ANRE. The last capping scheme covered electricity until 30 June 2025 and gas until 31 March 2026. Households can ask for universal service.

Help if money is tight

Under Law 226/2021, low-income households can get heating aid in the cold season (for district heat, gas, electricity or solid/liquid fuel) and a fixed monthly energy supplement. The income limits are set per season. Apply at your town hall.

Protection against cut-off

Before a cut-off your supplier must tell you in good time about alternatives, such as payment plans or debt advice, at no cost. Vulnerable customers can ask to pay a bill in instalments over at least 3 months. If someone at home needs electric life-support equipment, give your supplier the medical documents.

If your supplier goes bust

If your supply contract ends, for example because your supplier fails, a last-resort supplier (FUI) takes you over automatically without a new contract, for up to 12 months. You are informed within 7 working days and can move to another supplier with 2 working days' notice.

Power cut

Power cuts are handled by the distribution operator for your area, which you cannot choose; use ANRE's search tool to find yours. You are entitled to compensation from the supplier or network operator if you suffer damage through their fault or quality standards are not met. Free 24/7 fault lines: Distribuție Energie Electrică România 0800 400 929 (Transilvania Nord), 0800 500 929 (Transilvania Sud), 0800 500 205 (Muntenia Nord); Rețele Electrice 0800 070 444 (Banat), 0800 070 555 (Dobrogea), 0800 070 888 (Bucharest, Ilfov, Giurgiu). You can also dial your county prefix + 929 (standard rate).

Cooling-off period

You can cancel an electricity contract signed away from the supplier's premises or at a distance within 14 days of signing, even if supply has already started.

Smart meter

Distribution operators install smart meters according to an ANRE-approved national calendar. You need a smart meter for a dynamic-price contract; suppliers with over 200,000 customers must offer one.

Solar panels

Households with renewable systems up to 400 kW per site can become prosumers and sell surplus power to their supplier; systems up to 200 kW can use quantitative netting. ANRE is consulting on transitional rules for contracts signed until 31 December 2026, so check for changes.

Fixed and dynamic contracts

If you have a smart meter, you can sign a dynamic-price electricity contract with at least one supplier and with any supplier that has more than 200,000 customers. Before signing, the supplier must tell you the advantages, costs and risks of such a contract.

Energy sharing and communities

ANRE has amended the electricity supply rules (RFEE) to set a framework for energy communities (press release of 30 June 2026). Shared energy is the power produced within the community, measured by the distribution operator per settlement interval and allocated to members' homes.

• Supply in a community runs through three agreements: a contract for the shared energy between the community and each member's home, a contract with a main supplier for the rest of your use, and an agreement between the community, the distribution operator and the main supplier. (anre.ro)
• The distribution operator determines and validates the shared quantities; its data are the only basis for billing and settlement. (anre.ro)

Heating without the gas grid

District heating (termoficare) is a local public service; ANRE sets rules for it under Law 325/2006. If you complain in writing, the heat supplier must reply within 30 calendar days. You can also turn to your local council or the courts.

• You have the right to be told about interruptions of heat supply, to ask in writing for the meter on your own connection to be checked, and to recover proven damage caused by the operator's fault. (anre.ro)
• ANRE's powers for district heating (e.g. the rules for splitting heat costs in blocks of flats) come from Law 325/2006 on the public heat supply service. (anre.ro)

Back-billing and estimated bills

Your electricity bill must show whether the reading was taken by the distribution operator, by you or estimated, and how many days (at least 5) you have to send your own reading. If a settlement bill shows you overpaid more than 100 lei, the supplier must refund it within 5 days.

• The 100-lei refund rule within 5 days of the settlement invoice applies to electricity and to gas. (anre.ro)
• Under ANRE's amended rules (press release 30 June 2026), your supplier sends an alert by e-mail, SMS or another agreed electronic channel when your use reaches a preset threshold of up to 80% of the monthly estimate in your consumption agreement. (anre.ro)

Energy costs for tenants

In blocks of flats with district heating or a shared boiler and vertical pipes, heat costs are split by heat cost allocators on every radiator, under ANRE Order no. 7/2024 (in force since 1 August 2024). Only providers authorised by ANRE may read them and split the costs, monthly.

• If your flat is disconnected from the heating network, you still pay a share of the heat measured at the building's connection, in proportion to your share of the common parts (Law 325/2006, art. 41). (anre.ro)
• Costs for individual use in a block are split by the index of individual meters or cost allocators, under the rules of the national regulators or local authorities (Law 196/2018 on owners' associations, art. 83). (anre.ro)

Vulnerable and medical customers

Vulnerable customers get these facilities from their electricity supplier free of charge: a contact point adapted to their needs, dealing with the supplier through a third person they name in writing, and bills, notices and information in a format that works with screen readers, on request.

• For gas, vulnerable customers have the right to monthly bills based only on actual use, from the operator's reading or their own meter reading. (anre.ro)

Grid connection

For a household connection to the low-voltage grid (ANRE Order no. 18/2022), the distribution operator checks your application within 10 working days and issues the technical connection permit (ATR) within 30 calendar days of a complete file. The connection certificate follows within 3 working days of commissioning.

• The operator sends the draft connection contract within 5 working days of your request, and switches on your installation and fits the meter within 5 working days of your supply contract being signed. (anre.ro)
• The same procedure covers household prosumers with renewable installations up to 400 kW per site connected at low voltage. (anre.ro)

Consumer organisation

Autoritatea Națională pentru Protecția Consumatorilor (ANPC)