If you have financial difficulties, you should always contact the administrative authority in your region first! This is either the municipal office, the district administration or the municipal authority, or in Vienna the social center or social department of MA 40. These authorities will support you directly and can also help you find other relevant assistance.

The Ministry of Social Affairs’ WOHNSCHIRM Energie scheme offers free advice and financial support throughout Austria and also helps with excessive energy costs. Further information about the requirements, the advice centers and answers to many other questions is available on the Wohnschirm website.

Many social organizations also offer free consultations and help with applying for various benefits.

You can find an overview of important contact points for advice and information here: Advice centers near you

If you have any questions about energy bills or are unclear about your energy tariff, your energy supplier’s customer service is the best place to go. Customers can contact their energy supplier directly to clarify specific details and questions about their bills and tariffs.

Alternatively, E-Control also offers advice and information throughout Austria to clarify any uncertainties regarding energy bills for electricity and gas. It checks whether bills are correct and provides support with questions about tariffs and consumption bills. For further information or direct advice, please visit the E-Control website.

If your energy comes from a so-called “joint supply system” (i.e. you have a central heating system in the house that supplies several apartments, for example),  the costs are split among all apartments. The Chamber of Labor is a good point of contact for questions about these bills. The Chamber of Labor is a good point of contact for questions about these bills.

In cases like these, you generally have the right to pay in installments and can arrange  installment payments with your energy supplier if you have payment difficulties. Many energy suppliers are prepared to draw up an individual payment plan in cases like these. It is best to contact your energy supplier as early as possible to arrange payment in installments.

Wohnschirm Energie also offers financial support and advice for households that have difficulties paying their energy bills. The Wohnschirm website provides information on advice centers in your area and other issues.

It is important to take these steps as early as possible to avoid further financial burdens for your household. If necessary, you should therefore not hesitate to contact your energy supplier or an advice center that can offer additional advice and support.

In the event of disputes with an electricity or gas supplier, you can contact the E-Control concilation body. It is neutral and independent and helps to resolve disputes.

The Chamber of Labor also offers advice on legal questions regarding district heating (“Fernwärme”) or energy from a so-called “joint supply system” (i.e. a central heating system in the house that supplies several apartments instead of an individual heating system). The state-approved arbitration board for consumers also offers free support in the event of problems with a company in Austria.

It is worth comparing prices regularly to find cheaper tariffs for electricity and gas. E-Control’s tariff calculator is an independent online tool that allows you to quickly and easily compare the prices of different energy suppliers and tariffs in Austria.

Important tip: Many energy suppliers offer new customers discounts for the first year. If you don’t want to switch your energy tariff regularly, you can compare tariffs in the tariff calculator for up to three years or even without a one-off switching discount. This allows you to find a tariff that is still cost-effective even after the discount has expired. Once you have decided on an energy supplier, switching usually only takes a few clicks.

If disconnection is imminent, you should contact the energy supplier as soon as possible. In many cases solutions can be found such as payment in installments or deferred payment of the accumulated arrears. You can find the contact details of the energy supplier and the grid operator on your bill or on the Internet.

The Ministry of Social Affairs’ Wohnschirm also offers rapid assistance. It provides financial support to households with energy cost arrears and also provides professional advice and support for contacting energy suppliers. More information on Wohnschirm Energie is available on the Wohnschirm website.

To resume electricity and / or gas supplies as soon as possible, you can resort to the right to “basic supply” i.e. energy suppliers have the obligation to conclude supply contracts. To do this, you must contact the energy supplier informing them that you are claiming your right to basic supply and that you are prepared to pay monthly instalments (for energy and grid usage) in advance. E-Control has a sample letter on its website.

As soon as you have claimed basic supply from the supplier, the grid operator must establish supply. Households that have been disconnected must therefore be reconnected quickly. But beware: existing debts are not erased and you must expect them to be claimed! You should therefore settle any arrears as soon as possible. Support services such as Wohnschirm Energie can help you with this.

Important tip: If you subscribe to the basic supply tariff, you will pay the same as the majority of the supplier’s other customers – i.e. not any more, but neither any less (i.e. the basic supply tariff is not automatically the cheapest tariff). You do not necessarily have to stick with your current supplier for your claim of basic supply. You can also look for a new energy supplier and compare their prices. The E-Control tariff calculator lists all available suppliers for your address. Details on the basic supply tariffs are available on the supplier’s website.

If the energy supplier requires a deposit or advance payment, you can insist on the installation of a so-called “prepayment meter” instead of paying the advance. This works like a prepaid cell phone: you buy electricity or gas in advance for a certain amount (e.g. €20) and have to top up this “credit” as soon as it is used up in order to continue receiving energy. The installation of this prepayment meter costs €24 once and €1.92 more per month than a conventional meter.

Good to know: In Austria, essential energy supplies such as electricity or gas may only be switched off under very strict conditions. At least two written reminders delivered to you are required. These letters must point out that you can visit advice centers and that you have the right to claim basic supply. Furthermore, disconnections must not be carried out on a Friday or on a day before a public holiday.

The program Energiesparen im Haushalt: Beratung und Gerätetausch (Saving energy in the home: advice and appliance replacement) of the Climate and Energy Fund supports you in reducing your household energy costs. After an initial consultation at a Caritas center, energy-saving advisors visit your home, discuss easy-to-implement energy-saving measures with you and check your electrical appliances for their energy consumption. If during this consultation it turns out that your existing electrical appliances are too old or inefficient and should be replaced, up to two appliances (stove, fridge, washing machine or dishwasher) can be replaced free of charge, including transportation and installation of the new appliances and disposal of the old. For more information, please visit the Caritas-Website for the program.

There are many simple and inexpensive ways to save on heating costs, electricity and hot water. Our overview of easy-to-implement energy-saving measures provides lots of useful tips for everyday life.

If you still have difficulties with high energy costs despite your efforts to save energy, there is also free counseling available – e.g. from the energy advice centres in your federal state (“Bundesland”), social organizations, your own energy supplier or as part of the “Energiesparen im Haushalt: Beratung und Gerätetausch” (Saving energy in the home: advice and appliance replacement) programme from the Climate and Energy Fund. For more information on the program, please visit this Caritas-Website.

Now is the best time for major renovation projects. Currently many subsidies are available for replacing heating systems or (partially) renovating buildings such as the federal government’s nationwide “Raus aus Öl und Gas” (Get out of oil and gas) funding campaign, the renovation bonus (with the slogan “Austria is not completely leak-proof”) and the “Sauber Heizen für alle” (Clean heating for all) campaign. “Clean heating for all” for example promotes the switch from a fossil heating system to a climate-friendly heating system with up to 100% of the costs for low-income households. The federal states (“Bundesländer”) also run their own subsidy schemes, some of which can be combined with nation-wide federal subsidies.

Refurbishing or replacing a heating system has great potential to reduce energy costs and improve the well-being of the household. However, such a project is also very complex, needs to be well planned and it is easy to lose track of the many subsidies, some of which have different requirements and procedures. That is why it is very important to seek personal advice as a first step. There are advice centers in every federal province. A list of possible contact points in your area can be found on our map or on this website from klimaaktiv.

The advice centers in each federal province can also help you the right subsidies and submit applications. Comprehensive up-to-date information on the various federal subsidies, e.g. on the eligibility requirements and the application procedure, is available on the site on environmental subsidies in Austria. Information on all funding programs can be obtained from the respective program websites.

Energy poverty is defined as a household’s inability to adequately heat or cool its living space or supply it with energy for its daily needs, e.g. for the operation of household appliances. This may or may not be due to a low income. Excessively high energy costs or a lack of energy efficiency in the home or electrical appliances can also lead to energy poverty, even if household income is moderate.

In addition, there are numerous support offers benefitting and affecting all households. For example, general subsidies exist for renovations and replacements of fossil fuel heating systems, as these conversions usually involve very high investment costs that even middle-income households find difficult to finance on their own. Information services such as energy-saving advice or energy-saving tips are also relevant for all households, since high-income households in particular often consume much more energy due to their lifestyle.

kea is the national coordination and competence office for combating energy poverty in Austria. It provides important information and resources for those affected by energy poverty as well as for supporting institutions (such as social organisations or energy suppliers), but it does not offer direct, individual advice for households. However, together with energy companies, social organizations, social partners, public administration and the scientific community, kea develops long-term solutions to prevent energy poverty.

Further information about kea is availale in our About Us section.