Gas tariffs when moving: clarify the contract position and supply start

When moving, your customer wants to know how the new home will receive gas and when your quote can apply. Your energy sales team adds value by clearly identifying the supply point, any existing contract and the start that can actually be confirmed. The general wish “gas for moving day” becomes an understandable decision about the next appropriate supply arrangement.

Treat the new supply point as a separate case

Start with the supply actually in question. The new address alone does not explain which gas contract is needed for which supply point. Ask whether the customer intends to conclude a supply contract themselves and what information is available. If they initially want to understand housing costs, clarify that request. A tariff quote should concern the intended personal supply, rather than silently covering an entire building’s consumption.

Keep the previous home and new supply point distinct. A known supplier, old bill or saved meter number may belong to the previous situation. Adding the new address does not turn them into details for the new supply point. Clear attribution matters particularly in a block of flats. The customer should understand which information you have reliably matched and which needs confirmation.

Treat the move as more than a changed line in an old quote. It may involve a different supply point and a different timeline. The quote decision needs the right reference. Clarify missing details specifically instead of copying an old meter identifier. If the supply situation remains unclear, the responsible organisation should explain the attribution before a binding statement about the new start is made.

Assess the previous contract separately

Ask about the previous contract insofar as the intended solution requires it. Does the customer want the existing supplier to serve the new point, or examine another option? Both are possible directions. The responsible supplier clarifies whether continuation is offered and on what terms. The word “move” alone does not promise any particular contract continuation.

Equally, do not say the old contract automatically ends when keys are handed over. Ask the customer to check the relevant information from their current supplier or clarify it there. You can prepare the new quote decision and identify the information needed. Individual cancellation rights, deadlines and contractual effects require appropriate assessment of the actual agreement, rather than deduction from a preferred moving date.

If the customer uses two homes temporarily, identify that explicitly. Discussing the new supply point does not automatically answer every question about the old one. Show which location and period belong to each task. This avoids implying a complete moving solution when only a new tariff has been discussed. Ending supply at the old place and starting it at the new remain separate matters.

Name the different dates accurately

Distinguish the planned move, actual first gas consumption, contract conclusion and confirmed supply start. These may coincide, but need not. A tenancy start or key handover alone does not establish which agreement already exists. Keep each date with its own meaning. The customer can decide more clearly when one event is not silently substituted for another.

The Federal Network Agency explicitly separates the contractual situation from the technical switching process. The contract governs supply between customer and supplier; the technical allocation links the supply point to the relevant supplier. A technical process neither replaces the contract nor automatically changes its terms. A requested or processed switch is therefore different from a confirmed start under the desired contract.

Use clear status wording. “The requested start is being checked” and “The supplier has confirmed this start” describe different results. Say which actually applies. If a question arises, identify the missing information. A precise interim answer helps planning more than a date promise with no basis. If there are several confirmations, check their order and reference: a later clarification may supersede an earlier message without both positions applying simultaneously.

Explain the limited gas exception for retrospective allocation

For gas, the Federal Network Agency describes a limited exception for moves in and out: retrospective allocation can cover at most six weeks. It requires a contractual agreement between supplier and consumer already concluded before the first physical supply. Only the notification of moving in or out occurs later. This requirement is inseparable from the explanation. Six weeks does not provide a blanket opportunity to choose any gas tariff retrospectively.

First establish the actual contract position before consumption. A wish expressed now and an agreement concluded earlier are different starting points. The customer should not think a new enquiry can replace a previously nonexistent contract. The responsible supplier assesses whether the real case meets the requirements and what processing is possible using the actual documents and information.

Do not transfer electricity information to gas without checking. The Agency describes accelerated technical electricity switching separately and expressly distinguishes the gas exception. Your gas quote needs the appropriate technical statement. Sales wording should not advertise a deadline borrowed from another supply sector or one that offers no confirmed answer for this customer.

Match identification to the right supply point

The Agency describes the market location ID as a particularly reliable identifier of the supply point and lists further information if it is unknown. For the conversation, first ensure every identifier belongs to the intended point. A customer number and meter number are not interchangeable. Keep the label with the information instead of passing on an unexplained string of digits.

Check the location represented by documents. An old bill may concern the previous home. A photo or note without clear attribution does not yet identify the new supply point. Seek targeted clarification through the responsible contacts. A missing confirmation cannot be replaced by guessing which meter in the building is probably intended.

Contract and meter details belong in the necessary protected exchange with legitimate participants. The Agency highlights possible misuse of such information. Explain what each detail is needed for and limit sharing to the relevant case. Preparing a quote does not justify unnecessarily circulating whole bills or identifiers among a larger group.

Clarify supply that has already started separately

If the customer has already consumed gas after moving, ask for existing contract information and confirmations. Current supply and the wish for your quote must be matched correctly. The Agency explains that moving in without a prior competitive supply contract generally creates basic supply through energy consumption. The starting position must therefore inform a new preferred contract; the exception for a pre-existing gas agreement remains a separate assessment.

What matters is whether a contract existed before consumption or a new decision is only now being made. If the current supplier is unknown, allocation can be queried with the network operator. Do not infer a specific contract merely because gas is available. Physical supply does not automatically tell the customer which supplier contractually provides it.

Do not simply place an earlier period under your new quote’s terms. Clarify which future start can be checked and confirmed instead. If an earlier agreement matters, the responsible supplier assesses it. The customer receives an answer appropriate to the actual situation. A blanket promise of retrospective savings would skip the key contractual question.

Distinguish two fictional moving cases

Two entirely invented cases illustrate the difference. In the first, a customer has concluded the corresponding supplier agreement before first consuming gas at the new supply point. Only the moving notification comes later. The responsible team can check whether the limited gas exception applies. This example gives no clearance and promises no retrospective start for a real household.

In the second, a customer seeks a new tariff only after first consuming gas. No relevant agreement with the preferred supplier existed beforehand. The adviser therefore does not hold out the same retrospective option. She clarifies current supply and discusses the new quote for a future start still to be confirmed. The everyday description “just moved” leads to a different professional starting question.

Both cases keep the old home’s details separate. Neither transfers its consumption uncritically into demand for the new point. The useful distinction is between allocating an existing agreement and examining a new future contract. Neither case describes a real customer, successful switch or promised saving. Actual processing remains with the responsible contractual parties.

Record the result understandably

Summarise the attribution simply: intended supply point, existing agreement, preferred start, confirmed position and specific open question. This is a recommendation for your own advice. The customer should see what is clarified and what response remains necessary. It replaces neither contractual documents nor supplier confirmation, but helps explain the next step.

If plans change, check the reference affected. A later actual start may alter a presentation previously based on assumptions. Compare a new confirmation with the discussed supply point and start, and explain any discrepancy. The customer can ask a concrete question rather than reconciling documents whose dates merely appear identical.

This supports the move with clear professional tariff advice. You turn neither an enquiry into a contract nor a preferred date into a confirmed start. Instead, you help the customer recognise the actual starting position and consciously assess the next available option. When many things happen at once during a move, precisely explained responsibilities provide orientation and trust.

New moving conversations for your gas tariff team

“Preparing a move” is one possible reason for a webRichtung gas enquiry; moving dates, contract numbers and meter numbers are not collected. You clarify the actual supply decision personally. Register your business on the gas tariff page and check the current enquiry price in webRichtung Customer before a binding order.

View gas tariff enquiries and register your business

Sources

Federal Network Agency: supplier switching – contracts, technical allocation and the gas exception for moves and contract types and basic supply when moving in, both read in full on 18 October 2026. The examples do not replace assessment of individual contractual rights or a specific supply start.