How to sign an electricity contract for an apartment – step by step 2026

Step 1: Find out your move-in date and facility ID

Signing an electricity contract for an apartment doesn't have to be complicated – but if you skip the first steps, you risk ending up on an open-ended "until-further-notice" price (tillsvidarepris) that costs considerably more than necessary. Apartment residents can often save SEK 500–1,000 per year by switching from an until-further-notice price to a competitive contract. Here's what you need to do before you sign anything:

• Find your facility ID (anläggnings-id) – an 18-digit number that identifies your specific electricity meter and always starts with 735 999. It's on your meter in the meter cabinet or on a previous invoice from your grid operator.

• Note your exact move-in date – the electricity supply contract needs to apply from the day you take over the apartment, otherwise you're automatically assigned an until-further-notice price.

• Check that you have a grid contract – before you can choose a supplier, a separate contract with the local grid owner must be in place. These are two different contracts with two different parties.

• Act before move-in – contact a supplier in good time, ideally a few days before you move in, so the contract is activated immediately.

Once you have this information ready, you can start comparing offers in a structured way – and that's exactly where most of the savings are. In the next step we look at how the fixed monthly fee and price per kWh interact in a way that can easily mislead.

Step 2: Compare the monthly fee and price per kWh

When signing an electricity contract for an apartment, it's easy to fixate on the price per kilowatt-hour – but that doesn't tell the whole story. According to Konsumenternas energibyrå, the fixed monthly fee is often the item that affects the total cost most for a small household.

A typical apartment uses around 2,000 kWh per year (usually within the 1,500–3,000 kWh range). That means a high monthly fee hits your wallet relatively harder than if you lived in an electricity-intensive house. See how a SEK 50 difference in the monthly fee affects a monthly cost at 200 kWh:

Even though Contract B has a lower kWh price, it ends up more expensive – the monthly fee eats up the entire advantage. Here's how to avoid the trap:

• Calculate your annual consumption – found on your latest electricity bill or in your grid operator's app.

• Identify the monthly fee in every contract you compare – often hidden in the terms.

• Calculate the total cost by multiplying kWh price × consumption and adding 12 monthly fees.

• Prioritise a low or zero monthly fee if you use under 300 kWh/month.

• Read more about how the different contract types work before you decide on a fixed term.

With a clear picture of your actual costs, you're ready for the next step – choosing between a variable and a fixed electricity price.

Step 3: Choose between a variable and a fixed electricity price

When signing your first electricity contract, the choice of contract type is often what causes the most confusion. In practice it comes down to three options – and which suits you depends on your everyday life.

• Choose a variable electricity price if you want to follow the market. According to Elskling, a variable price has historically often been a profitable choice for consumers in the long run – although Energimarknadsinspektionen's ten-year comparison shows that three-year fixed-price contracts have at times been cheapest. As an apartment resident you usually have low consumption, which makes the swings more manageable.

• Understand quarter-hour pricing – since 2025, quarter-hour pricing has replaced hourly pricing as the spot-price contract, with the price set every 15 minutes instead of every hour. It can benefit you financially, but requires you to actively shift household chores to nights and weekends. Learn more about what drives these price variations to decide whether it suits your lifestyle.

• Consider a fixed price if you prioritise budget security. You pay a predetermined öre per kWh regardless of the market – perfect if you don't want to be surprised by a cold winter with high electricity prices.

• Compare the fixed term with a fixed price. These contracts often run 1–3 years, and breaking them early incurs fees – something Vattenfall points out is commonly missed.

Rule of thumb: Variable suits most people in an apartment; fixed suits you if you want predictability in your monthly budget. Once you've decided on a contract type, the next step is to actually find the best offer – and that's where a comparison tool comes in handy.

Step 4: Use Wipick to finalise your electricity contract

Now that you know which contract type suits you and how the monthly fee affects the total cost, the next step is to actually compare and sign. Keep in mind that around 60% of your electricity cost consists of taxes and grid fees you largely can't influence – it's the remaining roughly 40% (the supply portion) you should optimise, though you can also reduce your electricity usage to bring down the whole. The question of which electricity contract to choose for an apartment is most easily answered through a structured comparison. Here's how:

• Enter your postcode and your estimated annual consumption in Wipick's search field – for most apartments, 1,500–2,500 kWh per year is a reasonable starting point.

• Filter the results by contract type and select "apartment" to see offers tailored to low consumption, where the monthly fee carries extra weight.

• Sort the list by total cost rather than price per kWh alone, so you get a fair picture of what you actually pay per year.

• Click into the contract that suits you best and read through the terms – check the fixed term and any notice rules. If you have an electric car, there are also specific contracts to consider.

• Sign the contract with BankID directly in the comparison tool for an immediate confirmation – the whole process normally takes under five minutes.

• Save the confirmation and note the contract's start date, so you know when any new-customer discount expires.

The result is an electricity contract on your terms, with no default contract or unnecessary costs. In the next part we gather the most important points to keep an eye on going forward.

How to remember what matters – a quick summary

Comparing electricity contracts regularly is the single action that actually affects your bill – the supply contract is the only part of the invoice you can switch and save on yourself. Here's what you need to remember:

• Avoid the until-further-notice contract. Never stay on a default contract longer than necessary – it's almost always more expensive than active alternatives.

• Prioritise the monthly fee in a small apartment. With low consumption, the fixed fee weighs more heavily than the price per kWh.

• Variable pricing often wins over time for smaller households – see how variable and fixed electricity prices actually differ before you decide.

• Set a reminder every twelve months. New-customer offers often expire after a year – without tracking it, you pay more without noticing.

Go through these four points the next time you open your electricity bill. Sign a new electricity contract for the apartment, set a calendar alert for twelve months, and then let the contract work for you.