Electricity when moving in Germany: a 2026 checklist

What should I arrange before moving?

Your electricity contract does not simply disappear when you leave. Check the moving provisions in your contract and get the outcome in writing. This avoids leaving the old address unresolved while organising the new one. Consumer advice on moving contracts.

Keep the two addresses separate

Create two notes on your phone: “old home” and “new home”. Give each a handover date, the correct meter details, the supplier contact and a place for confirmation emails. If you receive the new keys before the furniture arrives, include that earlier access date in your discussion with the supplier.

For a special contract outside default supply, relocation termination generally has six weeks’ notice. It can be excluded if the supplier offers continued supply at the new address on unchanged terms within two weeks and can fulfil it. Check your specific situation rather than assuming every move permits cancellation. Section 41b EnWG.

Does the 24-hour electricity switch mean I can wait?

Since 6 June 2025, the technical electricity supplier switch operates within 24 hours on working days. It does not shorten your contract’s notice period. A chosen supplier cannot retrospectively take over electricity you already used before arranging that supply. There is also no blanket official rule requiring every move to be reported several weeks ahead. Bundesnetzagentur guidance.

Our planning tip: treat the supplier’s confirmed start date as the useful milestone. A fast technical process is helpful, but it is not a substitute for checking addresses, paperwork and your existing contract.

Your electricity handover checklist

Keep this record beside your keys and packing checklist. Make separate entries for the outgoing and incoming home.

1. Identify the correct meter. Ask at handover if the meter-to-apartment assignment is unclear; avoid copying an unverified number.
2. Record both readings. Note the number and reading, and retain a clear photograph with your handover documents.
3. Send the readings. Provide the relevant details to your supplier and network operator; keep the receipt or confirmation.

These meter checks follow Verbraucherzentrale’s moving guidance. For switching, the 11-digit market location ID (MaLo-ID) is useful: it identifies the supply point, while the meter number identifies the device. If the new home’s MaLo-ID is unavailable, ask the supplier to help obtain it. Switching information and required details.

Make your file easy to use: name the photos “old-home-handover” and “new-home-handover”, then store confirmations beside them. Check the final old-home bill against your own record before archiving it.

Already moved and forgot the electricity contract?

Contact the local default supplier, give the correct move-in and meter details, and arrange your preferred supply going forward. First electricity use without a prior contract generally creates default supply; a later chosen tariff cannot be backdated to cover that period. Official explanation.

Also resolve your previous address. Default supply can generally be cancelled with two weeks’ notice. Bundesnetzagentur’s cancellation guidance. Save both sets of correspondence so one conversation does not get mistaken for the other.

Common moving questions

Put the rest of your move in one plan

Use our moving knowledge base for inventory and cost planning. If you need support before returning the old keys, explore move-out cleaning and move-out painting. We confirm the scope and availability for your addresses.