# What Is the Best Electricity Provider for New Arrivals in Germany? (2026) > Electricity for your first months in Germany, ranked on a new-arrival weighting: ease of signing up at 30%, English support at 25%. Bonus-free tariffs with English service lead. By Jules de Bruin · URL: https://www.guide-germany.com/energy/providers/best-for-new-arrivals **The verdict** For new arrivals, **Octopus Energy Relax12** leads at **3.9 out of 5**, unit rate **EUR 0.28/kWh** for the catalogue's reference postcode. It has **no sign-up bonus**, so year two costs what year one did, and its support is marketed in English. **Ostrom** is the other bonus-free supplier with an English app and support. Until you sign, the local **Grundversorgung** supplies you automatically, so there is no day without power: choose in your first weeks, not on your first day. ## Which electricity tariff is best for new arrivals? Sort byOur rankingUnit rateContract freedomEnglish supportSorted by **unit rate**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **contract freedom**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. Sorted by **english support**, not our recommendation. The default view is our ranking, weights published below. #1 by unit rateEUR 0.28/kWh#1 by english supportEnglish support availableOctopus Energy ### Relax12 4.4Score 3.9/5. English service plus simple flat pricing, no lock-in tricks [Get this tariff](https://octopusenergy.de/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.28Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 178.90/year (EUR 14.91/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,149.80 (3,500 kWh/yr; sibling Relax24: 27.37 ct/kWh with 24-month guarantee)Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - 27.74 ct/kWh fixed without any bonus games - Trustpilot 4.8/5, top tier among large suppliers Cons - Standing charge ~**EUR 14.9**/month above discounters Best for New arrivals who want the strongest overall fit. Octopus EnergyRelax12EUR 0.28/kWh#2 by english supportEnglish support availableOstrom ### Ostrom SimplyFair12 4.3Score 3.5/5. The reference newcomer pick: English contract, app, support [Get this tariff](https://www.ostrom.de/)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.35Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 135.60/year (EUR 11.30/month)Estimated annual costEUR 962 (3,500 kWh/yr Berlin, first year (no bonus scheme))Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Full English app and support, rare in German energy - No bonuses, so year-two price equals year one Cons - No phone hotline, chatbot-first support draws complaints Best for New arrivals in a different city or with a different priority. OstromOstrom SimplyFair12EUR 0.35/kWh#2 by unit rateEUR 0.31/kWh#3 by english supportEnglish support availableE.ON ### E.ON ÖkoStrom Pro Extra 12 3.9Score 3.5/5. English-language support and national coverage ease first signup [Get this tariff](https://www.eon.de/de/ecom/strom.html)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.31Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 149.50/year (EUR 12.46/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,220 (3,500 kWh/yr, Berlin, first year including EUR 314 combined bonuses (bonus-free cost approx. EUR 1,220-1,335))Contract12 monthsPrice guarantee12 monthsPrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Nationwide availability in every grid area - **100%** renewable electricity as standard Cons - Second-year price without bonuses is ~**30%** higher Best for New arrivals in a different city or with a different priority. E.ONE.ON ÖkoStrom Pro Extra 12EUR 0.31/kWh#3 by contract freedomcancellable monthlyTibber ### Tibber dynamischer Tarif 4.1Score 3.2/5. English-first app; Pulse device works without iMSys [Get this tariff](https://tibber.com/de)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)n/aStanding charge (Grundpreis)EUR 71.88/year (EUR 5.99/month)Estimated annual costEUR 980 (3,500 kWh/yr at ~27.5 ct/kWh average dynamic rate (modelled, Jul 2026))Contractcancellable monthlyPrice guaranteeno price guaranteePrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Hourly exchange prices with market-best app - Pulse hardware (**EUR 99.95,** **EUR 34.95** for ADAC members) bridges non-iMSys meters Cons - No phone support, chat only, slow replies reported Best for New arrivals in a different city or with a different priority. TibberTibber dynamischer Tarifn/a/kWh#3 by unit rateEUR 0.31/kWh#1 by contract freedomno minimum termSWM ### Grundversorgung (Munich) 3.0Score 3.1/5. Automatic safety net in Munich; exit quickly [Get this tariff](https://www.swm.de/privatkunden/energie/strom/grundversorgung)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.31Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 161.60/year (EUR 13.47/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,253 (3,500 kWh/yr Munich)Contractno minimum termPrice guaranteeno price guaranteePrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Auto-supply from day one of a Munich move - Two-week cancellation, no term Cons - ~**EUR 360**/yr above cheapest Munich switcher tariff Best for New arrivals in a different city or with a different priority. SWMGrundversorgung (Munich)EUR 0.31/kWh#2 by contract freedomno minimum termVattenfall ### Berlin Basis Privatstrom (Grundversorgung) 2.6Score 2.7/5. You are supplied automatically on arrival; switch within weeks [Get this tariff](https://www.vattenfall.de/strom/grundversorgung)Unit rate (Arbeitspreis)EUR 0.38Standing charge (Grundpreis)EUR 160.80/year (EUR 13.40/month)Estimated annual costEUR 1,500 (3,500 kWh/yr household, Berlin)Contractno minimum termPrice guaranteeno price guaranteePrices as of August 2026, verify on the provider site. Pros - Automatic supply from day one, no signup needed - Cancellable any time with two weeks notice Cons - Most expensive way to buy power in Berlin: ~**EUR 560**/yr over cheapest Best for New arrivals in a different city or with a different priority. VattenfallBerlin Basis Privatstrom (Grundversorgung)EUR 0.38/kWhAlso a strong fit The general weighting also picks **Octopus Energy Relax12**, so the winner holds for new arrivals. What moves is the shelf behind it: **ease of signing up** carries 30% here against 15%, and **unit cost** 20% against 35%. ## Which tariffs are ruled out for new arrivals? 20 of the 26 electricity tariffs in the catalogue carry a hard blocker for this reader. Their score is capped at 1.0, however cheap they are. - **Vattenfall ÖkoStrom12**: documents only in German. - **EnBW EnBW clever strom 12**: documents only in German. - **eprimo eprimoStrom PrimaKlima 18**: documents only in German. - **Yello Mein Yello Strom Basis**: documents only in German. - **LichtBlick ÖkoStrom 12**: documents only in German. - **Naturstrom naturstrom**: documents only in German. - **EWS Schönau Ökostrom 12**: documents only in German. - **Polarstern Wirklich Ökostrom (Komfort)**: documents only in German. - **Green Planet Energy green energy strom**: documents only in German. - **Bürgerwerke BürgerÖkostrom**: documents only in German. - **Ostrom Ostrom SimplyDynamic Monthly**: smart meter (iMSys) required. - **Rabot Energy rabot.home flex**: documents mostly in German. - **Octopus Energy dynamicOctopus**: smart meter (iMSys) required. - **SWM M-Strom Fix 12**: documents only in German. - **GASAG Strom Öko**: documents only in German. - **enviaM MEIN STROM relax 12 Monate**: documents only in German. - **immergrün! Spar Smart FairMax**: documents only in German. - **E WIE EINFACH E WIE EINFACH Strom (MeinSmart Tarif)**: documents only in German. - **MAINGAU Energie MAINGAU StromGarant**: documents only in German. - **Süwag Naturstrom Clever**: documents only in German. ## What do you need to sign an electricity contract as a new arrival? A German supply address, a **SEPA** direct debit and your meter number (Zählernummer). None of the records ranked here asks for a formal **Anmeldung** certificate, but every one needs the address and the bank account. Read the meter on the day you move in, photograph it and give that reading to the new supplier. Until a contract starts, the local Grundversorger supplies you under § 2 StromGVV, and switching is free of charge (§ 20a EnWG). The Grundversorgung averages **42.83 cents per kWh** against **30.7 cents** for new-customer tariffs (strom-report.com, October 2026), so leaving it in your first weeks is the saving. The full sequence is in [setting up electricity and gas](/energy/setting-up-utilities). ## The same tariffs, ranked for other readers [Compare every tariff in the catalogueUnit rate, standing charge and term side by side→](/energy/providers-price-research)[Short stays](/energy/providers/best-for-short-stays)[New arrivals](/energy/providers/best-for-new-arrivals)[Students](/energy/providers/best-for-students)[General ranking](/energy/providers)Each page scores the same electricity catalogue on the same five criteria, only with different weights. For families and for settled residents the weighting returns the same order as the general list, so they have no page of their own: the general ranking is theirs. ## How did we compare the tariffs? We scored the 26 electricity tariffs in the catalogue; gas is ranked separately. Each criterion gets 0 to 5 points from fixed record fields: unit rate under 27 cents = 5, under 30 = 4, under 33 = 3, under 36 = 2, above that 1, no fixed unit rate 3, minus one point for a new-customer bonus. Price guarantee of 24 months or more = 5, 18 = 4, 12 = 3, none = 0. No term, or monthly with up to two weeks notice = 5, twelve months = 2. Grundversorgung = 5 for signing up, smart meter required = 2, otherwise 4. English service = 5, otherwise 1. A tariff can only be picked when its own persona verdict in the catalogue is at least 3 out of 5 with no blocker. Prices are for each record's reference postcode and consumption profile, because the grid operator at your address sets part of the price. Always re-check the tariff for your own postcode. ## Related Guides - [Best energy providers in Germany](/energy/providers) - [Setting up electricity and gas](/energy/setting-up-utilities) - [How electricity and gas work in Germany](/energy/electricity-gas) - [Every tariff in the catalogue](/energy/providers-price-research) --- Source: https://www.guide-germany.com/energy/providers/best-for-new-arrivals Last updated: n/a Format: LLM-readable Markdown twin (.md) of the canonical HTML page.