Energy Regulatory Office Consumers’ Knowledge Regulated: The terms and conditions of reserve electricity sales changed on July the 1st - News

Consumers are no longer required to select their reserve electricity resellers. From July the 1st, the reserve electricity reseller — becoming the committed seller — for the consumer is the electricity supplier (seller) in the electricity distributor area to which the consumer is connected^[1]. The details of the proper reserve electricity reseller operating in the respective electricity distributor area are available on the applicable distributor’s official website.

If the obligations of a reserve electricity reseller cannot be met by the committed seller, the reserve electricity reseller is the committed seller designated for the area of operations of the respective transmission system operator (TSO). It is the “fallback” reserve electricity reseller for all consumers, irrespective of the distributor grid they are served by.

In December of 2024, the President of the URE designated 181 committed sellers operating in the areas of specific electricity distributors, plus a single committed seller in the area of operations of a transmission system operator PSE (Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne). The committed sellers designated as reserve electricity resellers are listed each year on the URE official website (follow this link for the 2025 list).

There are five main DSOs (distribution system operators) operating in Poland, with each serving a specific region of the country (Tauron Dystrybucja, Energa Operator, Enea Operator, PGE Dystrybucja, Stoen Operator).

Figure 1. Area of operation of the five biggest distribution system operators

When the sale of reserve electricity goes live due to reasons attributable to the existing seller and the electricity sales contract or the complex contract with the consumer is terminated by law, the consumer is not required to incur any additional costs or fees.

Reserve electricity sales contracts — or complex contracts which include the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract — concluded before 1 July 2025 pursuant to prevailing regulations will survive.

When does a reserve electricity sales go live?

A reserve electricity sales goes live when the respective electricity distributor is advised that an electricity sales or complex contract is not performed for an end consumer connected to that distributor’s grid, especially in connection with any of the following:

• the distributor is advised that the current seller for that consumer was required to cease electricity sales due to reasons attributable to that seller;
• the electricity sales or complex contract concluded with the current seller expired — this applies when the distributor has not been advised that any such contract has been concluded with another electricity seller under an electricity seller switch procedure;
• when the electricity seller which the consumer had concluded a contract with has not begin to sell electricity to that consumer.

An reserve electricity sales contract is concluded by law, which means that the provision of electrical supply is ensured without any action required from the consumer.

How does a consumer know that a reserve electricity sales has gone live for them?

The respective electricity distributor will notify their connected consumer within five (5) days after the sales goes live that (i) the reserve electricity sales contract — or complex contract which includes the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract has been concluded and effective by law, (ii) the legal basis for such conclusion and effectiveness, (iii) the reasons for the contract conclusion; (iv) the reserve electricity seller’s contact details, and (v) the location where the reserve electricity seller has published the terms and conditions of the reserve electricity sales contract — or complex contract which includes the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract.

The reserve electricity seller will provide the consumer with one copy of the reserve electricity sales contract — or complex contract which includes the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract in 30 days from the date on which the distributor became aware of the law-enforced conclusion of the reserve electricity sales contract — or complex contract which includes the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract, and will advise the consumer about their right to terminate such contract.

Moreover, the reserve electricity seller will provide the following advice with each electricity bill issued to the consumer on a live reserve electricity sales:

• The right to select another electricity seller;

• The reserve electricity sales contract — or complex contract which includes the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract will be terminated without any action of the consumer once the electricity sales goes live under contract with the new electricity seller selected by the consumer.

The electricity price under reserve electricity sales is defined by the reserve electricity seller (and published by them on their official website) and shall not be higher that triple the last quarterly price on the competitive electricity market. The electricity under reserve sales contracts can be much higher than specified in the electricity tariffs approved by the President of the URE or in free-market offerings. The consumer who is supplied with electricity by reserve sales should immediately compare the reserve electricity sales prices with the available electricity sales pricing and consider concluding a new, ‘regular’ complex contract or electrical sales contract.

Changes in reserve electricity sales due to the launch of CSIRE

On 1 July 2025, the CSIRE (Central Energy Market Information System) went online with the mission to facilitate and fast-track information exchange between electricity distributors, sellers, and consumers. PSE is the managing authority, or OIRE (Energy Market Information Operator) of the CSIRE.

DSOs will join the CSIRE in stages. A CSIRE rollout schedule exists which regulates when specific DSOs will join. The CSIRE rollout is planned to end on 19 October 2026.

The changes in the reserve electricity sales scheme explained below apply to the operators who join the CSIRE:

• The OIRE will replace the respective DSO as the originator of notice to go live with reserve electricity sales for the designated reserve electricity seller;
• The applicable reserve electricity seller will replace the respective DSO as the originator of notice of reserve electricity sales go-live for the affected consumer;
• The reserve electricity seller is required to provide the affected private household consumers with the effective reserve electricity sales contract — or complex contract which includes the provisions of a reserve electricity sales contract in the period reduced from 30 days to 14 days;
• For other electricity consumers affected, the reserve electricity seller is required to provide them with the effective contract in the regular period of 30 days.

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See the URE official website for a detailed Explanatory Notice To Reserve Electricity Sales and Changes In Reserve Electricity Sales Due To The Launch Of CSIRE.