At a glance
Suppliers
~ 140
licensed in Austria — free choice
Switch time
6 – 8 w
end-to-end, power never off
Family bill
~ €1,100
/ year, 4-person household
EN support
yes
via Stromliste · free service
Supplier vs network operator — the one distinction you need
Every electricity bill in Austria has two parties on it. They are easy to confuse, but the difference matters enormously — one you choose freely, the other you can't change at all.
Supplier (Versorger)
Sells you energy. Free competition between roughly 140 licensed suppliers in Austria. You can switch any time after the minimum contract term — typically 12 months. The bill line called „Energiepreis" or „Lieferant" is what they charge you.
Examples: Wien Energie, Verbund, EVN, aWATTar, Energie AG, Salzburg AG
Network operator (Netzbetreiber)
Operates the physical wires and is responsible for outages and repairs. Regional monopoly — you cannot choose. Their tariffs (the „Netzentgelt" line on your bill) are set yearly by the regulator E-Control, not by them.
Examples: Wiener Netze, Netz Niederösterreich, Energienetze Steiermark
From our consultations: The most common expat question is „Can I switch the network operator if there's an outage I'm unhappy with?" — the answer is no, but a switch wouldn't help anyway. Outage response is regulated nationwide, and the same operator serves everyone in your area regardless of supplier. What you can do is pick a cheaper supplier.
Setting up electricity and gas — step by step
Five practical steps. You can start before you actually move in — most suppliers accept applications a few weeks in advance.
Step
Find your Zählpunktnummer
A 33-character ID starting with AT, assigned by the network operator to your specific apartment. You'll find it on any previous electricity bill, or by calling the network operator with your address. Without it, registration cannot complete.
Step
Decide on a supplier
Compare offers against the regional default supplier (Grundversorgung). Look at the total price after the first year, not just the welcome bonus. Stromliste's English-speaking advisors do this for free at 0720 1155 70.
Step
Sign up online or by phone
No physical signature needed. After you submit name, address, IBAN, Zählpunktnummer and meter reading, you receive an email confirmation link — clicking it activates the contract legally.
Step
Wait 6 to 8 weeks
The new supplier takes care of cancelling your old contract (if any) and notifying the network operator. During this period your power supply continues uninterrupted — you don't need to do anything.
Step
Get your first bill
Either monthly direct debit based on estimated usage, or one yearly bill in arrears, depending on the supplier. Read it once — check that the line items match the contract terms and that the price matches what you signed up for.
Compare suppliers and sign up — in English, in 10 minutes
Free phone comparison of all Austrian electricity and gas suppliers. We sign you up, handle the paperwork and tell you if a switch isn't worth it.
- All AT suppliers compared
- English support
- No obligation
What data you need to register
Have these seven items ready before you call or fill in the online form. The first three are the ones most often missing — keeping a recent electricity bill handy solves all of them at once.
Meter ID (Zählernummer)
An 8–12-digit number on the electricity meter itself, usually below the barcode or on the type plate.
Zählpunktnummer
The 33-character apartment ID starting with AT. On any previous electricity bill or via the network operator.
Current meter reading
A photo of the meter display on the day of registration. For smart meters, can also be pulled online by the network operator.
Personal details
First and last name, date of birth, full address including door number, plus a phone number for queries.
SEPA IBAN
Any SEPA-area IBAN works (EU + EFTA + UK). Non-SEPA accounts cannot be used for direct debit — open an Austrian account first if needed.
Estimated yearly use (kWh)
Rule of thumb: single ~1,500 kWh, couple ~2,500 kWh, family of four 4,000–5,000 kWh. Add 2,500–6,000 kWh for a heat pump or EV charging.
Desired start date
Typically the day you move in, or the soonest possible switch date if you're already there (~6–8 weeks out).
Default suppliers by region
These are the regional default suppliers — the company you get assigned to automatically if you don't choose. They are large, established and stable, but their default tariff is usually 20 – 60 % more expensive than the cheapest market offers. They are perfectly fine as a fallback, just not as a long-term choice.
Burgenland
Strong wind-power focus, the state of Burgenland is a major shareholder.
Network operators by region
You can't choose the network operator — it's whichever company owns the cables to your address. This is who you call when there's an outage, and whose number you'll need if you have to look up your Zählpunktnummer. The major operators per state:
Vienna
Largest operator in Austria, ~1.7M metering points across the Vienna metro area.
Smaller municipal operators exist in some towns. The full list is in our network operator directory.
Four pitfalls expats run into
These come up almost daily in our English-language consultations. None is fatal, but each costs money or time if you don't see it coming:
Pitfall 1
Defaulting to Grundversorgung
If you move in without an active contract, you're auto-enrolled with the regional default supplier at the more expensive Grundversorgung tariff. Power flows from day one, but you'll pay €100–400 more per year than the cheapest available alternative until you switch.
Pitfall 2
Confusing supplier with network operator
When something goes wrong with the connection itself — outage, meter problem, smart-meter rollout question — calling your supplier is the wrong number. The supplier sells you energy; the network operator owns the infrastructure. Both appear on your bill.
Pitfall 3
Door-to-door sales
Door-to-door selling is not the cultural norm in Austria — if someone shows up unannounced offering a "great deal," do not sign anything on the doorstep. Take the brochure, check the offer yourself. You have a 14-day right of withdrawal but it can be a hassle to invoke.
Pitfall 4
Dynamic tariffs without a plan
Dynamic (hourly) tariffs are popular since 2022 — but they only save money if you can shift load to cheap hours (heat pump scheduling, EV charging, deferred washing machine). For a standard usage profile, a fixed-price contract is the safer choice.
From our consultations: The single most common reason expats end up on a bad tariff is moving in on a Friday, not finding time to compare in the chaos of the first week, and then forgetting about it for a year. Doing the 10-minute comparison call before the move-in date is the single biggest saver — and we do it in English, for free.