Consumers’ Knowledge Regulated: What rights do electricity consumers have? We have compiled key information in “The Guide to Electricity Consumer Rights”
The Energy Regulatory Office (URE) has published a revision of “The Guide to Electricity Consumer Rights”. The Guide features many useful details about the sale and delivery of electricity and how the electricity market functions. It is a must-read for every electricity consumer who wants to exercise their rights in an informed way.
Between April and May 2025, a public opinion poll was completed on commission of the Energy Regulatory Office (URE), titled “Bills Under Consumer’s Control”. The poll results suggest that just 29 per cent of energy consumers fully understand how the energy market works. 68 per cent of the poll responders use tariffs approved by the President of the URE. Six per cent admitted using the free market offer and the remainder did not know which type of energy supply contract they were on. 73 per cent understand that energy resellers could be switched. Yet only 13 per cent chose to switch. Just 38 per cent of the responders knew that the withdrawal period for an energy supply contract concluded outside of business premises was 14 days.
A key task of the sector Regulator is to raise the awareness of energy consumers about their rights under energy sales and distribution contracts. This is pursued using public and communication campaigns.
The statutory duties of the URE regulated by the Energy Law includes publishing “The Guide to Electricity Consumer Rights”. The Guide features useful information about the rights of private household electricity consumers and the workings of the electricity sales and distribution market. The production and distribution of the Guide aligns with the catalogue of educational and informative activities undertaken by the URE in cooperation with specific energy market actors.
The Guide includes details concerning:
- verified and reliable sources of consumer insights;
- the rights of electricity consumers;
- the obligations of electricity consumers and consumer rights concerning electricity service connection and respective connection contract components;
- the reserve electricity sales, as a fallback in the event that the consumer loses their current electricity reseller;
- the principles of concluding and terminating electricity sales and distribution contracts, along with the contract components;
- the right to choose the electricity provider and the process of electricity reseller switching;
- electricity tariffs and their components;
- specific items of electricity invoices, the procedures for invoice correction, settlements, and payment methods;
- operating aspects of metering and billing systems (power meters);
- complaint procedures applicable to energy supply and quality standards.
“The Guide to Electricity Consumer Rights” details which authorities are tasked with consumer representations and the unfair market practices found in the electricity sector. The latter is very important; according to the “Bills Under Consumer’s Control” poll, as much as 61 per cent of energy consumers have encountered some form of fraud in the electricity market, which most often were calls for immediate payment (47 per cent) and impersonation of an energy reseller (41 per cent).
The URE official website features the latest downloadable revision of the Guide aligned with the laws prevailing as on 1 July 2025. The Compendium (in Polish) is available in two versions:
- Full-colour, complete with illustrations and recommended by the URE;
- Black and white, without illustrations and optimised for printing — this version is intended first for electricity resellers.
URE shares knowledge
The energy market is a busy place. It is why the URE has compiled a compendium of household electricity consumers. This one-stop publication explains:
- how electricity is supplied to households;
- the electricity sales offers available on the market;
- the components of an electricity bill;
- forms of consumer abuse on the electricity market;
- the electricity price suppression in 2025.
This tab features the Compendium leaflet “Bills Under Consumer’s Control” prepared by the URE (in Polish). The URE plans to regularly share the knowledge about consumer rights and electricity bill aspects. This educational cycle is titled Consumers’ Knowledge Regulated (Polish: “UREgulowana wiedza konsumenta).
- Pursuant to Energy Law Article 5(6e), the Guide copies shall be provided to electricity consumers by electricity and fuel gas resellers who are required by law to provide public access to the Guide.