Electricity & gas in Austria: your rights

The market

Households can freely choose their electricity and gas supplier. Since 24 December 2025 the new Electricity Industry Act (ElWG, 'Günstiger-Strom-Gesetz') governs electricity customers' rights; some parts started in 2026.

Energy regulator

E-Control (Energie-Control Austria)

Dispute resolution

Schlichtungsstelle der E-Control · free

First try to reach an agreement with your supplier or grid operator in writing. If that fails, send a written complaint (web form, e-mail, post) with the correspondence to the E-Control conciliation body within one year. The disputed amount is not due during the procedure.

Compare prices official

Tarifkalkulator der E-Control

Switching supplier

Switching is free of separate charges. It may take at most three weeks; since 1 April 2026 the technical electricity switch must take no more than 24 hours on any working day. You can cancel with two weeks' notice; with a binding period, at the end of the first contract year at the latest.

Price rises

Electricity suppliers must notify price changes in writing at least one month in advance, stating reason and scope. You may object free of charge within four weeks; the contract then ends after about three months. Increases only for open-ended contracts; falling costs must be passed on within six months.

Regulated price

There is no state-set general electricity price. Under 'Grundversorgung', any supplier serving households must supply you at the price of its standard product for new customers; a deposit of at most one month's instalment may be required.

Help if money is tight

Since 1 April 2026: people exempt from the ORF fee (and receiving e.g. pension, care allowance, social assistance or AMS benefits) pay 6 ct/kWh net energy price for 2,900 kWh a year. Apply for ORF-fee exemption at OBS; the tariff then applies automatically.

Protection against cut-off

Before a cut-off for non-payment you must receive at least two reminders, each with a two-week grace period; the last by registered letter. Cut-offs are not allowed on the last working day before a weekend or public holiday. You have a right to instalments.

If your supplier goes bust

Since 2026 'Auffangversorgung' protects you: if your electricity contract ends (e.g. supplier insolvency) without a new one, a supplier appointed by E-Control supplies you automatically for up to six months. You can leave any time with two weeks' notice.

Power cut

If the fault is in the public grid (neighbours also affected), contact your grid operator (Netzbetreiber); its contact is on your electricity bill or in the E-Control tariff calculator. Planned outages must be announced at least five days ahead.

Cooling-off period

For contracts made at the door, by phone or online you can withdraw within 14 days without giving reasons; for electricity and gas the period starts on the day the contract is concluded.

Smart meter

Smart meters are the standard. You can ask for 'opt-out' (only monthly values and peak load stored), except if you feed in power, use storage or share energy in a community. From 1 Jan 2027, 15-minute values become the default above 1,500 kWh a year.

Solar panels

Surplus solar power can be sold to an electricity supplier under a purchase contract, or to OeMAG, which must buy it at the monthly published market price (minus balancing costs).

Free energy advice

Each federal state runs mostly free, independent energy advice. The Klima- und Energiefonds funds energy-saving advice and appliance replacement for low-income households.

Fixed and dynamic contracts

Since 1 April 2026 the ElWG gives customers with a smart meter a right to a dynamic-price electricity contract. Suppliers with more than 25,000 metering points must offer both dynamic and fixed-price contracts.

• Before a dynamic contract the supplier must explain in writing the chances, costs and risks, and you must agree explicitly. As a household you can cancel a dynamic contract at any time with the normal notice period. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• A fixed-price contract may not be changed or terminated by the supplier on its own within one year of signing. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• With a dynamic-price contract you must receive a bill every month, free of charge. (ris.bka.gv.at)

Energy sharing and communities

From 1 October 2026 the ElWG lets every active customer share electricity on top of their normal supply contract: in a renewable energy community (EEG), a citizen energy community (BEG), a joint generation facility in the building (GEA) or peer-to-peer.

• The participants must inform their grid operator about the sharing contract, the meter points involved, how the energy is split, and anyone joining or leaving. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• You need a smart meter, and you must give the data release yourself in your grid operator's smart meter portal; an organiser cannot do this for you. Your own supplier contract stays unchanged. (energiegemeinschaften.gv.at)
• Local communities share over the low-voltage grid, regional ones over the medium-voltage grid. According to the coordination office, new BEG and peer-to-peer models get reduced grid charges only from 1 January 2027. (energiegemeinschaften.gv.at)

Heating without the gas grid

District heating is not regulated by E-Control, and its conciliation body does not handle district-heating disputes. Under the Price Act the authority may set economically justified district-heating prices; heating companies can be required to report data to check their prices.

• For disputes with a district-heating company you can turn to the general consumer conciliation body, Schlichtung für Verbrauchergeschäfte; it is free of charge for consumers. (oesterreich.gv.at)
• The price authority under the Price Act is the Federal Minister for Economy, Energy and Tourism, who may delegate it to the state governors (Landeshauptleute). (ris.bka.gv.at)

Grants for heat pumps and insulation

The federal Sanierungsoffensive 2026 (boiler replacement 'Kesseltausch', renovation bonus) is closed: its budget is used up and new registrations are not possible. 'Sauber Heizen für Alle 2026' also no longer accepts registrations. Existing registrations are still processed.

• The renovation bonus for thermal insulation was stopped on 2 February 2026; boiler-replacement registrations then ran until the budget was exhausted. (sanierungsoffensive.gv.at)
• Federal funding can be combined with funding from your federal state (Bundesland). Check the state housing and renovation grants before you order any work. (oesterreich.gv.at)
• 'Sauber Heizen für Alle' was for low-income households (e.g. social assistance or ORF-fee exemption) replacing oil, gas, coal or electric heating in their own house. Only households already registered can still apply. (umweltfoerderung.at)

Back-billing and estimated bills

Partial payments (Teilbeträge) must be based on your consumption last year and the current energy price. Every bill must state whether the meter was read by the grid operator, by you, remotely, or whether consumption was calculated.

• Without a smart meter, the grid operator must let you send in your own meter reading every quarter. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• You get a bill at least once a year, free of charge. Annual bills must be issued no later than six weeks after the consumption data are available. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• If a bill leads to a back payment, the grid operator and supplier must let you pay in instalments over up to 12 months. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• Grid operators and suppliers must keep consumption and billing data for three years, so that bills can be checked afterwards. (ris.bka.gv.at)

Prepayment meters

Prepayment exists in basic supply (Grundversorgung): if you fall behind with payments again after invoking it, the grid operator may disconnect you unless you agree to prepay for future supply and grid use.

• On your request the prepayment function must be switched off once you have paid the arrears from basic supply to supplier and grid operator. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• The same applies to gas: the gas grid operator may refuse prepayment only for technical safety reasons. (ris.bka.gv.at)

Energy costs for tenants

In buildings with at least four units and shared heating, the Heating Cost Act (HeizKG) applies: 55 to 85% of energy costs are split by measured use. The statement is due within six months after the billing period.

• Raise written, reasoned objections within six months of receiving the statement; otherwise it counts as accepted. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• You can inspect the billing documents for at least four weeks. With remotely readable meters or heat cost allocators you must get consumption information at least monthly. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• Disputes go to the district court (Bezirksgericht) in non-contentious proceedings. Where the municipality has a conciliation office for tenancy matters, you must go there first. (ris.bka.gv.at)

Vulnerable and medical customers

Electricity suppliers covered by the Energy Efficiency Act must run free advice centres, including on affordability, basic supply and energy poverty, and name trained staff for hardship cases on their website.

• Every reminder before a disconnection must tell you about these advice centres. (ris.bka.gv.at)

Grid connection

Apply to your grid operator. It must send a written cost estimate within two weeks of a complete written request, and reply to a complete connection application within two weeks with a concrete proposal for the next steps.

• For household installations on the low-voltage grid the operating permit is due within four weeks; for generation plants up to 20 kW within two weeks. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• Renewable generators up to 20 kW, e.g. solar panels, only need to be notified to the grid operator, which can object only within four weeks of complete notification. Solar up to 15 kW on an existing connection costs no extra connection fee. (ris.bka.gv.at)
• The grid operator must answer enquiries and complaints within five working days; if a complaint is not resolved, it must point you to the E-Control conciliation procedure. (ris.bka.gv.at)

Consumer organisation

Verein für Konsumenteninformation (VKI)