Guide by kind of contract

How to leave an energy or utility contract

General guidance for energy and utility contracts: what happens if you do nothing, how to cancel, what to check and what to keep. It isn’t about any one company, so check your own contract for the details.

What happens if you do nothing

The contract may renew into a new tariff.
Rates can change at the end of a fixed term.

How to cancel, step by step

Check contract end date and exit fees
Give required notice before it auto-renews
Contact the provider by phone or online account
Provide a final meter reading if asked
Confirm the switch or closure in writing

Checklist

Confirm fixed-term end date.
Ask about exit fees and tariff after term.
Compare at least one alternative offer.

Watch out for

Exit fees may apply until the exact end date.
Some providers require notice even at term end.

When to start

Start about 45 days before the renewal date⁠—earlier if there is a notice period, so you still have time to decide, compare and send your notice.

Documents to keep

Contract summary
Latest bill

An email you can copy

Replace the parts in brackets. Send it to the address in your contract or on the provider’s contact page, and keep the reply.

Subject: Contract end date & exit fees – [provider name]

Hello,

Please confirm my contract end date, exit fees, and the tariff after the fixed term for [provider name].

Thanks,
[your name]

If you call

What to say, and what to ask for in writing:

What is my fixed-term end date and exit fee?
What tariff applies after the term ends?
Please email confirmation.

Official factsBased on official sources, as of the date shown⁠—not features or prices of the app.

Electricity and gas in Germany: notice and special termination

If you live in Germany: a basic supply contract (Grundversorgung) for electricity or gas can be canceled with two weeks’ notice, in text form. The basic supplier must confirm your notice and the end date in text form without delay and may not charge a separate fee for it, for example when you switch supplier.

Outside the basic supply (a special contract), the term and notice period are set by your contract; the supplier must give you a short summary of the key terms that includes the notice period. It must confirm your notice and the end date in text form within one week of receiving it.

If a supplier changes its prices or terms under a right reserved in the contract, it must tell you in good time⁠—for a price change, at least one month in advance for household customers. You can then cancel without notice, effective when the change takes effect, without a separate fee. This doesn’t apply when the supplier only passes on a statutory change in the VAT rate unchanged: it then doesn’t have to notify you in advance, and no special termination right arises.

When you move, you can cancel a special contract with six weeks’ notice, effective on the day you move out or later⁠—unless the supplier offers, within two weeks, to keep supplying you at your new address on the same terms.

This is general information, not legal advice. For your specific case, Germany’s consumer advice centers (Verbraucherzentralen) can help.

Sources: Section 20, Electricity Basic Supply Ordinance (in German)⁠ (opens in a new tab), Section 20, Gas Basic Supply Ordinance (in German)⁠ (opens in a new tab), Section 41, Energy Industry Act (in German)⁠ (opens in a new tab), Section 41b, Energy Industry Act (in German)⁠ (opens in a new tab) checked September 26, 2026

From Aplo Apps

Renewal Radar: Know when to cancel⁠—before your contracts renew.

A subscription and contract tracker for iPhone and iPad that alerts you before renewals and cancel-by dates, so you can keep, cancel or renegotiate on time.

In the app, a playbook for each kind of contract lists the steps, a checklist and an email and call script to copy. The free version shows a preview; Premium unlocks the full playbooks.

About Renewal Radar