Reader question: When does the Austrian catch‑all supply (Auffangversorgung) apply and how do I prevent a supply gap after it ends?
Your Austrian electricity supplier terminates the contract. You continue to live in the same dwelling but have not yet concluded a new supply contract. For certain such transitions §31 ElWG provides for the Auffangversorgung. It is intended to enable a continuation of supply, but it is limited in time. Therefore check the actual contractual reason and actively plan the next regular supply contract. [ElWG31]
Why does the previous supply end?
Keep the termination notice with the confirmed end date. Is it a termination by the supplier, the expiry of a fixed term or another event? A termination declared by you yourself has explicitly different consequences: §31 paragraph 2 therefore excludes supply under the Auffangversorgung for that case. [ElWG31]
The situation of an unpaid bill must also be examined according to its own rules. §34 distinguishes the dunning procedure for breaches of contract from certain other contract terminations. The terms Grundversorgung, Auffangversorgung and new free choice of supplier are not interchangeable names for the same event. [ElWG34]
Confirm the concrete transition
In the recorded cases without a new supply contract the household is generally considered to be supplied under the Auffangversorgung from the day after the end of the previous contract, provided no objection is made. The law requires corresponding information from the network operator and the assigned Auffangversorger. [ElWG31]
Therefore check who supplies you from which date and which contractual information you actually received. The previous bill and a new company name alone do not yet constitute a clearly understood transition. Secure the metering point, contract numbers and the assignment you received in your records.
Do not assume an open‑ended permanent contract
The Auffangversorgungsvertrag ends under §31 paragraph 3 at the latest after six months. You can terminate it subject to a two‑week notice period. The provision also names special termination or refusal possibilities, for example in the case of relevant prior arrears. A blanket assurance for every conceivable case would therefore be incorrect. [ElWG31]
E-Control recommends organising a new electricity supply contract as soon as possible. [ECAUF] Compare the specifically offered conditions with your needs; the article does not confirm any particular cheapest supplier nor a guaranteed price advantage. The definitively confirmed start of supply is also decisive.
A hypothetical objection without a connection contract
A household receives information about the imminent Auffangversorgung and wishes to reject the new contract prematurely. Another supplier has so far only been asked and has not confirmed the start. The household therefore first clarifies the connection and the consequences of an objection.
The law permits an informal objection to the Auffangversorger up to the last day of the still valid contract. This does not imply a promise that electricity will nonetheless flow without another supply contract. [ElWG31] A mere enquiry is not a reliable substitute for a clarified contract.
Put the end in the calendar early
§31 paragraph 6 obliges the network operator to send a registered notice if four weeks before the end of the Auffangversorgung no new supplier has been named or contract concluded. The notice is intended to clearly name the risk of disconnection and the necessary steps. [ElWG31]
Do not, however, wait for the last letter before making your own plans. Record the actual end of the transitional supply and the confirmed start of the next supply. The text concerns Austrian electricity as at the stated status; it does not replace an individual contract review nor the examination of a specific final invoice.