Electricity contracts in Norway – plus broadband, mobile, insurance and recycling in your new home
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Your first electricity contract in Norway is a choice between spot and fixed prices, with state support and a proposed fixed Norgespris in the background. Here is how to choose, what your landlord cannot bill you for, and how broadband, mobile, insurance and recycling work.
An electricity contract in Norway is usually the first bill you set up yourself, and the choice matters more than in many countries. Two things shape it right now. According to Forbrukerrådet (the Norwegian Consumer Council), the state's strømstøtte (electricity support) covers 90 per cent when the price exceeds 75 øre per kWh excluding VAT. And in a consultation paper dated 10 March 2025, the Energy Ministry (Energidepartementet) proposed Norgespris, a fixed household price of 40 øre per kWh excluding VAT, with a planned start on 1 October 2025.
This part also covers the rest of setting up home: what your rent already includes, broadband and mobile contracts, insurance and sorting your rubbish. Finding the home itself is part 5.
How do I choose an electricity contract in Norway?
Forbrukerrådet advises you to compare two main types: a spot-price contract, which follows the market price, and a fixed-price contract, which keeps the same price for the whole contract period. It advises against variable-rate contracts. If you produce your own power, for example with solar panels, and sell the surplus back to the grid, a so-called plus agreement is a third option.
| Contract type | How the price works | Forbrukerrådet's advice |
|---|---|---|
| Spot price (spotpris) | Follows the market price | One of the two main types to compare |
| Fixed price (fastpris) | The same price for the whole contract period | One of the two main types to compare |
| Variable price | Neither spot nor fixed | Advises against it |
| Plus agreement | For households that produce power and sell the surplus | Only relevant if you produce your own power |
Source: Forbrukerrådet, read 23 September 2026.
Before you sign, check three things, Forbrukerrådet says: how long the binding period is, what it costs to leave the agreement, and which extra products and services you are paying for. You can compare prices on Strømpris, the official comparison service where all suppliers must register their prices. Switching supplier online takes about three to four minutes, and the change takes effect within 14 days.
Strømstøtte and the proposed Norgespris
Strømstøtte pays a variable compensation once prices cross a threshold. Norgespris, as proposed, would instead be a flat rate whatever the hourly spot price. According to the consultation paper, it would be open to household and holiday-home customers with individually metered, correctly registered connections. A household that chooses it would give up its right to strømstøtte for that agreement; households that do not opt in would keep the existing scheme.
| Strømstøtte | Norgespris (as proposed) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Variable compensation once prices cross a threshold | A flat price, whatever the hourly spot price |
| Level | Covers 90 per cent when the price exceeds 75 øre per kWh excl. VAT | 40 øre per kWh excl. VAT |
| Who | Households that do not choose Norgespris keep it | Household and holiday-home customers with their own registered meter |
| Status | Referred to on Forbrukerrådet's checklist | Proposal of 10 March 2025; planned start 1 October 2025 |
Source: Forbrukerrådet and the Energy Ministry's consultation paper, read 23 September 2026.
We could not confirm the final, adopted version of Norgespris or its terms for autumn 2026. Ask your supplier whether it is available on your contract before you choose between it and strømstøtte.
Which bills are already included in your rent?
If you rent, read the contract before you set anything up. As Forbrukerrådet summarises husleieloven (the Tenancy Act), the rent must be one all-inclusive amount. Your landlord cannot bill you separately for property tax, renovasjon (waste collection), chimney sweeping, cable TV, insurance or handing over keys, nor for maintenance, repairs or setting up the deposit account.
| Cost | Can the landlord bill it on top of the rent? |
|---|---|
| Electricity and heating fuel | Yes, if the contract says so |
| Water and sewage | Only if billed by metered use; without a water meter, no |
| Property tax, waste collection, chimney sweeping | No – included in the rent |
| Cable TV and insurance | No – included in the rent |
| Maintenance, repairs and replacements | No |
| Setting up the deposit account | No – the landlord pays |
Source: Forbrukerrådet, read 23 September 2026.
One bill you will not get is a TV licence. Under section 6-4 of kringkastingsloven (the Broadcasting Act), NRK (the Norwegian public broadcaster) has been financed by state grants and its own sales since 1 January 2020, and it may not carry advertising in its general channels.
Broadband and mobile: your rights when you sign
Start by checking what is available at your address. No broadband provider, Telenor included, is obliged to supply a connection to a given address in Norway. Nkom, the telecom regulator, keeps a register of registered providers.
If you sign by phone, online or on the doorstep, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal, counted from the day after you entered the agreement. Say Anna signs a broadband contract online on a Monday: her 14 days start on the Tuesday. If the service starts before the period ends and she still cancels, the provider may bill her for the costs it has had so far.
| Situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| Broadband or mobile signed by phone, online or at the door | 14-day right of withdrawal from the day after you signed |
| Mobile subscription bought in a physical shop | No right of withdrawal |
| Internet outage caused by the provider | A price reduction for the time without service; repeated or long outages can justify ending the contract |
| Complaint not solved within 2 weeks | Take it to Brukerklagenemnda (BKN), the Consumer Complaint Board for Electronic Communications |
| Switching mobile provider outside a binding period | Contact the new operator; normally done within ten days, and your number moves with you |
| Phone bundled with a subscription | Typically a 12-month binding period, and usually dearer in total than buying phone and plan separately |
Source: Forbrukerrådet, read 23 September 2026.
Home insurance and where to get advice
Forbrukerrådet's insurance pages have a checklist for choosing a policy and guidance on complaining about a settlement. Compare the terms, not just the price: what is covered, what is excluded and the size of the egenandel (excess).
No fødselsnummer (national identity number) yet? Banks, financial institutions and insurance companies are among those that can request a D-number for you, according to Skatteetaten (the Norwegian Tax Administration) – see part 3.
Forbrukerrådet gives advice and guidance but does not decide disputes, and it does not receive visitors. Call 23 400 500 (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 09:00–14:00, Wednesday 09:00–11:00) or use its online contact form.
How does recycling work in Norway? The Oslo example
The system below is Oslo's kildesortering (source sorting), as described by Oslo kommune (the City of Oslo). If you live elsewhere, look up your own municipality's sorting guide in your first week.
| Waste | Where it goes in Oslo | What happens to it |
|---|---|---|
| Food waste | Green bags | Biogas plant at Nes on Romerike |
| Plastic packaging (packaging only) | Purple bags | Exported to recycling plants in Europe |
| Residual waste | Ordinary bags | Incinerated for energy recovery |
| Glass and metal packaging | About 1,000 return points around the city | Sorted at the Sirkel plant in Fredrikstad |
| Textiles | Textile boxes at nearly 400 return points | Collected separately |
Source: Oslo kommune, read 23 September 2026.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check which bills your rental contract lets the landlord add | Before you sign the lease |
| 2 | Compare spot and fixed-price contracts on Strømpris; check the binding period and exit costs | Before you move in |
| 3 | Ask your supplier whether Norgespris is offered and how it affects strømstøtte | When you sign the electricity contract |
| 4 | Check which broadband providers serve your address | As soon as you have the address |
| 5 | Note the 14-day withdrawal deadline for anything signed online, by phone or at the door | The day after you sign |
| 6 | Compare home insurance terms, including the excess | In your first weeks |
| 7 | Find your municipality's sorting guide | In your first week |
Source: Forbrukerrådet and Oslo kommune, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- Forbrukerrådet (Norwegian Consumer Council) · forbrukerradet.no
- Regjeringen.no (Energidepartementet høringsnotat) · regjeringen.no
- Forbrukerrådet (Norwegian Consumer Council) · forbrukerradet.no
- Forbrukerrådet (Norwegian Consumer Council) · forbrukerradet.no
- Forbrukerrådet (Norwegian Consumer Council) · forbrukerradet.no
- Oslo kommune · oslo.kommune.no
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.