Energy supply

Consumer protection in energy supply, for example, electricity or gas, is determined by the law No. 458/2000 Sb, – energy law.

If the consumer has problems with energy supply, it is necessary to make a claim to the energy supplier, with whom the consumer signed a contract. If the supplier does not follow certain law regulations, or if the rights of the consumer are being overlooked, it is possible to file an application for investigation to the Energy Regulatory Office, which is a supervisory authority in this area and in certain limited cases, it can also deal with disputes between suppliers and customers.

For the purpose of increasing the protection of consumers, an energy ombudsman was established in 1. 2. 2014, who operates within the Energy Regulatory Office and who should facilitate out of court resolution of disputes between consumers and energy suppliers.

If the customer signed a contract outside the usual place of business (for example, a salesman that came to the customer´s home, or when a customer signed a contract on the street), and the consumer then decides to step out of the contract, he can, in a prolonged deadline, 5 days before the energy or gas starts to be supplied to the customer´s home.

The customer also has the right to step out of a contract, if the supplier changes the price of the electricity or gas, and no later than the tenth day before the changed price comes into effect, all provided, that the consumer was informed about this change by the supplier at least 30 days before the changed price comes into effect, and also about the possibility of backing out of the contract. The contract is cancelled on the last day of the calendar month, in which the supplier received information about the fact that a customer is backing out of the contract.

If the consumer was informed about the change of price and his right to step out of the contract too late, the consumer has 3 months, starting from the day of the change of the cost of energy or gas, to step out of the contract. If the consumer stepped out of the contract less than 10 days before the end of a calendar month, the contract is cancelled on the last day of the following month.

More information can be found on the internet website: http://www.eru.cz.