Electricity & gas in Norway: your rights

The market

You can choose any electricity supplier; the local grid company (nettselskap) is a monopoly and cannot be changed. Piped natural gas only exists in small local networks in Rogaland, so almost all homes use electricity.

Energy regulator

Reguleringsmyndigheten for energi (RME), part of NVE

Dispute resolution

Elklagenemnda · free

First complain in writing to your supplier or grid company. If you cannot agree, file with Elklagenemnda within one year of your first written complaint. Pure price disputes are not handled.

Compare prices official

Strømpris (Forbrukerrådet)

Switching supplier

Just sign up with a new supplier; it notifies Elhub and your old contract ends. You need your metering point ID (on the grid bill). Switching is free, but fixed-price contracts can carry a break fee.

Price rises

On standard variable-price contracts, suppliers must tell you about price changes 14 days before they take effect. You can end your contract and switch at any time, free unless you have a fixed-term deal.

Regulated price

Optional state fixed price: 50 øre/kWh incl. VAT (40 øre without VAT) until 31 Dec 2026, up to 5,000 kWh/month at home. Order at minside.elhub.no; binding after 14 days. The 2027 price is set in the state budget; re-order or you return to strømstøtte.

Help if money is tight

There is no income-based social tariff. Households without Norgespris get strømstøtte automatically: 90% of the hourly spot price above 77 øre/kWh (2026), up to 5,000 kWh/month. People in hardship can ask NAV for social assistance.

Protection against cut-off

Only the grid company can cut supply, and only for substantial non-payment. It must try to contact you and send a written notice giving four weeks to pay. No cut-off if it endangers life or health, or if social services take over the debt.

If your supplier goes bust

If your supplier goes bust or you have no supplier, your grid company must supply you (leveringsplikt). Price: area spot price plus 5 øre/kWh for six weeks, then plus 8 øre. Find a new supplier quickly.

Power cut

Call your local grid company (named on your grid bill). For outages over 12 hours, homes get NOK 500 plus NOK 40 per extra hour, paid automatically within 12 weeks; holiday homes NOK 125 plus NOK 10/hour.

Cooling-off period

You have 14 days to cancel a new electricity contract. If you were not told about this right, the deadline is extended by up to 12 months.

Smart meter

Smart meters (AMS) are mandatory and installed everywhere. With a doctor's or psychologist's certificate of serious health problems, the communication module can be removed or switched off, but you cannot keep an old meter.

Solar panels

If you never feed more than 100 kW into the grid (e.g. rooftop solar), you are a plusskunde: no fixed charge on what you export and no grid fee on the power you use yourself. You sell surplus via a supplier.

Free energy advice

Enova, a state agency, gives grants to homeowners who improve energy use at home. Apply before you start the work.

Fixed and dynamic contracts

You choose between a fixed-price contract (fixed price per kWh, usually 3 months to 3 years), a standard variable price, and a spot-price contract (Nord Pool price plus a markup), also billed hour by hour (timespot). Separately, you can order the state's Norgespris.

• Leaving a fixed-price contract during the binding period can cost a break fee; Forbrukertilsynet has rules on how suppliers must calculate it. (nve.no)
• With hourly spot pricing (timespot) you pay for your actual use each hour, so moving use to cheaper hours pays off. (nve.no)

Energy sharing and communities

Since 1 October 2023, grid customers on the same property (for example a housing cooperative or condominium) can share surplus power from their own renewable plant, such as solar panels. Shared power carries no grid energy charge or electricity tax. Register through your grid company.

• Same property means the same municipality, farm, holding and lease number. Total installed capacity in the sharing scheme may be at most 1 MW (AC) per property. (nve.no)

Heating without the gas grid

District heating from plants licensed by NVE may not cost more than heating with electricity would (energiloven § 5-5). If you think your price is too high, you can complain to NVE with your bills for the last 12 months; NVE works out the comparison price.

• The municipality can require new and substantially renovated buildings in an area to connect to a licensed district heating plant (plan- og bygningsloven § 27-5), but you are not forced to use the heat. (nve.no)
• District heating households can order Norgespris at norgespris-fjernvarme.no; if you don't, you automatically get strømstøtte instead. You cannot have both. (nve.no)

Grants for heat pumps and insulation

Enova gives homeowners grants for insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, heat pumps (air-to-water, liquid-to-water), solar panels, solar collectors, bio boilers, ventilation, energy storage, smart water heaters and energy advice. Apply before you start; the work must be done by qualified professionals.

• Example: an air-to-water heat pump gets 25% of approved invoiced costs, up to NOK 20,000. You must carry out the work and send documentation within the deadline to be paid. (enova.no)

Charging an electric car at home

In a condominium (eierseksjonssameie), an owner with their own parking space has the right to set up an EV charging point there with the board's consent, which may only be refused for a valid reason (eierseksjonsloven § 25 a). Housing cooperatives have the same rule (burettslagslova § 5-11 a).

• A condominium owner who may park on the property but has no own space can demand a charging point. The board must agree unless there is a valid reason, and decides where it goes. (lovdata.no)

Back-billing and estimated bills

If your grid company corrects hourly meter readings later than six months after the day of use, it has no right to charge you for it (avregningsforskriften § 6-14). Grid bills are sent at least every three months based on meter readings.

• Customers with an hourly meter are billed on actual hourly use. Estimated consumption may only be used if reading the meter would be unreasonably costly, and the bill must say it is estimated. (lovdata.no)
• Every bill must tell you how to object and give Elklagenemnda's contact details. (lovdata.no)

Energy costs for tenants

Rent must be a fixed amount, but it can be agreed that the landlord's electricity and fuel costs are split proportionally between users. If you pay such a share, you can demand a yearly account of the costs and how they are divided (husleieloven §§ 3-1, 3-4).

• A two-thirds majority of the tenants can demand individual meters for heating and hot water. (lovdata.no)

Grid connection

Grid companies must give everyone access to the grid on non-discriminatory terms. If the company must invest to increase capacity for you, you pay a connection charge (anleggsbidrag) for all or part of the cost. Disputes about connection or the charge can be taken to RME.

• If capacity must be expanded, you are entitled to a sound, indicative timetable showing when you can expect to be connected. (nve.no)
• The grid company's duty to connect you applies only if you are willing to pay the required tariffs. (nve.no)

Consumer organisation

Forbrukerrådet