Video (English subtitles)
Billing, advances and prices
The supplier normally has 15 days from ascertaining consumption (having received the input data from the distributor) to send the bill. You will receive your electricity or gas (energy) bill in the form agreed in the contract: hardcopy in your letterbox, or electronically at your e-mail address or in the supplier’s app. The required details of and all aspects related to billing are also governed by the law and by the contract in place between you and your supplier. Even if you have a single supplier for both electricity and gas, you have a separate contract for each of the commodities and therefore also receive separate bills for each of them. Thus, the dates for receiving the bills do not have to be the same although the electricity and gas supply points are located at the same address.
Each of the bills looks a bit different but they all have to contain the same details, including, in particular, the following:
- The total amount billed for the total quantity of the energy and related services supplied;
- The amount of the overpayment or underpayment for the billing period;
- The due date for paying the overpayment/underpayment and the method of this payment under the contract.
You will also find the following in the bill:
- The billing period specified by the dates of its first and last day;
- The total energy quantity supplied to the supply point for the billing period, including the method used for determining your consumption (a third-party read, your own read, or estimated consumption);
- The total amount of the advances paid over the billing period if the contract contains the obligation to pay advances;
- Specification of the supply point by the address and the EAN (electricity) or EIC (gas) code;
- A breakdown of payments and prices for energy supply.
Effective as of 1 January 2022, Part C of your bill newly contains the date of contract termination, which is important for you if you want to change your supplier without a penalty for early termination.
Advances
An advance is an amount that you have to pay the supplier on a regular basis. The amount of and the method for paying advances are initially agreed in the contract; subsequently, the supplier can set the amount, at all times at no more than that reflecting the reasonably expected consumption at the supply point (based on your actual past consumption, or your expected future consumption depending on the nature of your offtake).
Consumption is typically shown in kWh or MWh; in the case of gas it is also shown in the measuring unit that you find directly on the gas meter (m3 = cubic metres).
Total price for consumption and services
The amount for energy is based on prices in the price list: consumption is calculated as the quantity of consumed energy multiplied by the unit price, i.e. price per kWh or per MWh, plus the standing charge if agreed in the contract. The standing charge is a fixed amount per month or per day multiplied by the number of months or days.
The total price of energy supply consists of the following:
- the commercial price (the commodity charge = consumption x unit price + standing charge); this is the unregulated part of the total price, and
- the charge for related services; this is the regulated part of the price (set out in ERO Price Decisions).
When the total price billed for energy supply is lower than the sum of the advances you have paid,
- you have an overpayment, and the supplier is obliged to return it to you in accordance with the contract;
- when the total price billed is higher than the sum of the paid advances, you have an underpayment that you have to pay to the supplier.
You are entitled to a regular bill usually once per year. But you can also ask for an extraordinary bill as at 31 December. Your own read of the electricity or gas meter must be included in your request.
‘Non-compliance complaints’ [reklamace in Czech]
The Office does not decide on ‘non-compliance complaints’.
If you don’t agree with the bill you must complain about it in writing directly with your supplier.
The complaint must contain your identification details, the contract number, and the grounds for and subject matter of the complaint. It is important to send your complaint in writing because the supplier has a period of time under the law, within which it is obliged to handle the complaint.
The period of time is:
- 15 days, or
- 30 days in the case of complaining about related services (e.g., the amount of consumption)
You can complain about, in particular, but without limitation:
- the amount of the credited advances;
- the billed price, which must comply with the contract.
