Best Electricity & Gas Providers in Austria (2026)

Setting up energy in your Austrian apartment is straightforward. Follow these steps when you move into a new home:

• 1

  Check if your apartment already has a contract

  Ask your landlord or property manager. Many apartments have an existing energy contract that transfers to new tenants, or are on the local default supply (Grundversorgung). In either case, you will have electricity and gas from day one.

• 2

  Register with a provider using your Meldezettel

  If you need to set up a new contract, you will need your Meldezettel (registration certificate), your meter number (Zählernummer, found on the meter or in your rental contract), and an Austrian bank account for direct debit.

• 3

  Switch providers anytime with a two-week notice

  You can switch your energy supplier at any time. Simply sign up with a new provider and they will handle the transfer. The switch takes about two weeks with no interruption in supply. There are no fees for leaving the Grundversorgung.

All prices as of April 2026, including 20% VAT. See our VAT guide for how Austrian taxes work. Actual costs depend on your consumption, building insulation, and heating type.

Energy prices in Austria vary by provider, tariff, and region. Here is what you can expect to pay as of April 2026. For a full budget breakdown, see our cost of living guide.

A 2026 average household using 3,500 kWh per year pays roughly 28 to 34 cents per kWh gross, varying by Bundesland. The federal electricity price cap (Strompreisbremse, under the Stromkostenzuschussgesetz) ended on 31 December 2024. Since January 2025 households pay the full market price again, so a tariff review is especially worthwhile in 2026.

As a concrete 2026 benchmark, Wien Energie's OPTIMA Entspannt plus is a fixed tariff with a 12-month price guarantee (Preisgarantie) on 100% renewable electricity. Its energy charge is ~9.99 ct/kWh net (~12.83 ct/kWh gross, including Vienna's 7% Gebrauchsabgabe plus 20% VAT), on top of a EUR 4.93/month net Grundpreis (base price). The gas equivalent runs ~5.44 ct/kWh net (~6.98 ct/kWh gross) with a EUR 6.83/month net Grundpreis (Wien Energie, 2026). These are promotional rates for the mid-2026 offer window, not permanent, so check the current tariff before you sign.

Every Austrian tariff adds a fixed monthly Grundpreis (base price) on top of the per-kWh Arbeitspreis (energy charge). The Grundpreis stays the same no matter how little you use, so a low headline ct/kWh figure alone does not tell you the total. Wien Energie charges EUR 4.93/month net for electricity and EUR 6.83/month net for gas (Wien Energie, 2026); always add the Grundpreis when comparing offers on the E-Control Tarifkalkulator.

Your electricity price has three parts. The energy charge (Arbeitspreis, ~40 to 55%) is the only switchable part, set by your supplier. The grid fee (Netzentgelt, ~25 to 30%) is regulated by E-Control, fixed by your region, and not switchable. Taxes and levies (electricity duty, VAT, green-power levy) make up ~20 to 30%. Switching supplier only changes the energy charge; your grid operator (Netzbetreiber) stays the same. In Vienna the grid operator is Wiener Netze; you cannot switch it, and its grid fee is billed by your supplier on the same invoice (Wiener Netze, 2026).

For 2026, the Elektrizitätsabgabe (electricity duty) on private households was cut by about 93.3% to the EU minimum. This is a time-limited measure for calendar year 2026 (per the Austrian Parliament Budget Service) that lowers a typical household bill by roughly 5%. In Vienna, a further municipal Gebrauchsabgabe (usage tax) of 7% sits on top of the energy price before 20% VAT; this is the main reason a Vienna tariff's gross rate (e.g. ~12.83 ct/kWh) is well above its net rate (~9.99 ct/kWh) (Wien Energie, 2026).

Prices differ by Bundesland because the grid fee is set per region. Vorarlberg tends cheapest at around 28 ct/kWh, while Carinthia sits highest at around 34 ct/kWh. Most other states fall between 30 and 32 ct/kWh. All figures are as of 2026, reference values from the E-Control price monitor.

The 2026 grid-fee (Netzentgelt) changes vary sharply by state (E-Control, 2026). Fees rise most in Burgenland (+15.9%), Tyrol (+10.9%), and Lower Austria (+6.9%), but fall in Salzburg (~9% lower), with smaller cuts in Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Vienna, and Styria. Because the grid fee is not switchable, these regional moves flow straight through to your bill regardless of which supplier you pick.

When you move into an Austrian apartment, you are typically placed on the Grundversorgung (default supply) provided by your regional default supplier (Grundversorger). While this ensures you have energy from day one, the default tariff is usually significantly more expensive than competitive market offers.

Grundversorgung vs. Switching

• Grundversorgung (default): Legally guaranteed supply at a regulated rate. No contract needed, but typically 20–40% more expensive than the cheapest market offers.
• Market tariff (switching): Competitive pricing from dozens of providers. Switching is free and takes about two weeks. No supply interruption.

How to Compare Providers

Use these official comparison tools to find the best energy deal for your address:

• E-Control Tarifkalkulator , the official, regulator-run price comparison tool. Enter your postal code and consumption to see all available tariffs.
• durchblicker.at , a popular comparison platform that also covers insurance, internet, and other services.

Switching is capped at three weeks by law under section 76 ElWOG (Electricity Industry and Organisation Act). It is free of charge and never interrupts supply. The new supplier handles the cancellation with your old one, so you only sign up once.

For online sign-ups, a 14-day right of withdrawal applies under the FAGG (the Austrian distance-selling act). You can cancel a new contract within two weeks without giving a reason. Your grid operator (Netzbetreiber) stays the same, so no meter or cabling work is needed.

Use neutral comparison tools to find the cheapest tariff. The official E-Control tariff calculator is regulator-run and neutral. The Arbeiterkammer (AK) electricity calculator is a second independent option. For disputes with a supplier, E-Control runs a free arbitration body (Schlichtungsstelle).