Switching electricity supplier in Spain: what actually happens (and what doesn't)

If you have never switched electricity supplier in Spain, it is easy to imagine the process as something delicate: paperwork, technicians, maybe a few hours without power. The reality is far more boring, and that is good news.

What does NOT happen

• Your power is not cut. Not for a minute. The cables, the meter and the network belong to your area's distribution company, and that does not change. Only the company that bills you changes.
• No technician comes round. No visit, no work, nobody touches your installation.
• You are never "between contracts". The sign-up with the new supplier and the cancellation of the old one are coordinated in the same process. Your supply is never left uncontracted.
• You do not have to call your current supplier to say goodbye. The new one handles the cancellation.

What DOES happen

1. You sign with the new supplier, providing your CUPS, your details and a bank account.
2. The new company requests the switch from the distributor. It usually completes within days or a few weeks.
3. You receive one final bill from your old supplier covering the days up to the switch date.
4. You start receiving bills from the new one. The meter stays the same; your readings are not lost.

Two things worth checking first

Lock-in clauses: some contracts carry a permanencia, a minimum stay with a penalty for leaving early. It is in your current contract's terms, and it is worth checking before signing anything.

The offer's real price: compare each period's price against your actual consumption, not a "typical household". An offer can be great for your neighbour and mediocre for you.

And sometimes the best move is not to switch

Our analysis says it plainly: if your current tariff is already good, we tell you so and that is the end of it. Switching for the sake of it saves nothing.

Want to know which case you are in? Upload your bill and you will have the answer in about a minute, with figures from your own supply, not an example.