Electricity in Germany is a separate contract, rarely included in the rent, and you choose the supplier yourself. The market has hundreds of offers, and the cheapest-looking one is often only cheap for the first year. I compare electricity on CHECK24 and switch about once a year. The example below was compared there on 26 October 2026 for postcode 10178 (Berlin-Mitte) and 2,500 kWh a year, a typical value for two people.
What happens if you do nothing: basic supply
If you move in and use electricity without signing a contract, the local default supplier (Grundversorger) supplies you automatically. In Berlin this is Vattenfall. Basic supply (Grundversorgung) needs no application and can be cancelled with two weeks' notice, which makes it a safe fallback but rarely a good price.
In the example, basic supply cost 37.93 cents per kWh plus €14.39 a month: about €1,121 a year, or €93.41 a month. Comparison sites show this as the benchmark at the top of the results, so you can see what you would save.
How to read an offer
Enter your postcode and yearly usage in an electricity comparison such as CHECK24's. Choosing the household size fills in a typical value, but the actual usage on last year's bill (Jahresabrechnung) is more accurate.
Every offer has two price parts:
- Arbeitspreis: the price per kWh you use
- Grundpreis: a fixed monthly fee, whatever you use
Most offers add one-off bonuses: a Sofortbonus paid fairly soon after supply starts, and a Wechselbonus or Neukundenbonus for new customers. Their conditions and timing differ by tariff.
Your expected usage also sets the monthly advance payment (Abschlag). After a year the supplier bills your actual usage: you get money back or pay the difference.
Why the second year costs more
The headline price in the results is a first-year average with the bonus already subtracted. Take the first offer above, Vattenfall ÖkoStrom12 Berlin:
- Energy: 34.80 cents × 2,500 kWh = €870.00
- Base price: €11.90 × 12 = €142.80
- Bonuses: −€240
- Year one: €772.80 (€64.40 a month)
- Year two at the same prices: €1,012.80 (€84.40 a month)
Against basic supply, that saves about €348 in the first year but only about €108 in the second. The second offer, eprimo, works out at about €1,123 in its second year: practically the same as basic supply once its €338 bonus is gone.
So the habit that saves the most is simple: compare again every year and switch when the bonus period ends. A Tarife ohne Bonus filter shows offers without bonuses side by side if you prefer not to switch often.
Price guarantees and contract terms
A price guarantee (Preisgarantie) does not always fix the whole price:
- Preisgarantie Plus fixes every price component except taxes.
- Preisgarantie Standard fixes the energy price and network charges; taxes and levies can still change.
- Preisgarantie Minimum fixes only the energy price.
Rules that protect you either way:
- The first term of an electricity contract can be at most two years. The example offers had 12 months.
- For contracts concluded since 1 March 2022, you can cancel after the first term at any time with at most one month's notice. Older contracts can still renew for up to a year at a time, so check the notice period in yours.
- A supplier must announce a price change at least one month in advance, and you can then cancel without notice, effective when the change takes effect. This right does not arise when the supplier only passes on a change in the VAT rate.
Switching supplier
You order online with the new supplier: address, current supplier and meter number (Zählernummer), payment by direct debit or bank transfer, then confirmation. The new supplier usually cancels your old contract for you, observing its notice period.
Since 6 June 2025 the technical switch is completed within 24 hours on any working day. Switching and cancelling are free for household customers, and no technician visits. Read your meter on the switch date and keep a photo of the reading.
When you move
Sign the contract for the new flat before you move in. Electricity contracts cannot start retroactively, and if you use electricity without one you are put on basic supply. Note the meter reading on the day you move in.
If you cannot pay
A supplier may cut off electricity only if your arrears are at least twice the monthly advance payment and at least €100, and only after a written warning at least four weeks before and a further notice eight working days before the cut-off. If you get a warning letter, contact the supplier straight away.
Checklist
- Your actual yearly usage from last year's bill
- The basic supply price as a benchmark
- The second-year cost without the bonus
- The type and length of the price guarantee
- Minimum term and notice period
- A reminder to compare again in a year
- The meter reading on the switch or move-in date