Utilities in Spain – electricity, gas, broadband, mobile, home insurance and recycling
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Setting up utilities in Spain means picking an electricity retailer, signing a broadband contract and learning which bin takes what. VAT on electricity went back to 21 per cent in June 2026, so the choices you make in your first week show on every bill.
Three changes shape your utilities in Spain in 2026. VAT on electricity and gas returned to 21 per cent on 1 June 2026, after a temporary cut to 10 per cent. The bono social (social discount on electricity) pays a higher rate until 31 December 2026. And Ley 10/2025, in force since 28 December 2025, gives energy, water and telecoms companies until late December 2026 to bring their customer service into line.
Utilities in Spain: how do you get electricity connected?
Spanish electricity has two players: the distributor, which owns the local network and which you cannot choose, and the comercializador (retailer), which you choose freely, according to the CNMC, the markets and competition regulator.
Homes on low voltage with 10 kW or less of contracted power can opt for the regulated PVPC (voluntary price for small consumers), sold only by a comercializador de referencia (reference retailer) and, since 1 January 2024, only to private individuals and micro-enterprises.
| You need | Details |
|---|---|
| CUPS code | Identifies the supply point |
| Holder's details | Name, ID number and the supply address |
| Boletín eléctrico | The electrical installation certificate |
| Power in kW | 10 kW or less opens the PVPC to you |
| IBAN | For the direct debit |
| New-build extras | First-occupation licence, habitability certificate, deed or rental contract |
Source: CNMC, read 23 September 2026.
Connection must take no more than 5 to 7 working days, whichever retailer you pick. Switching later is free and must be done within 10 working days of signing; the new retailer handles it and the old contract ends automatically. A penalty for leaving in the first year cannot exceed 5 per cent of the pending energy cost, and distance contracts can be cancelled within 14 days. Without any contract or right to the PVPC, the reference retailer supplies you at a 20 per cent surcharge.
What will electricity and gas cost you in 2026?
On the PVPC the energy price varies with the time of day. In 2026 its energy cost is indexed 55 per cent to futures and 45 per cent to the daily and intraday market, the end of a phase-in under Real Decreto 446/2023. Network tariffs for homes use three time bands, one hour later in Ceuta and Melilla:
| Band | Weekdays | Also |
|---|---|---|
| Peak | 10:00–14:00 and 18:00–22:00 | |
| Mid | 08:00–10:00, 14:00–18:00 and 22:00–24:00 | |
| Off-peak | 00:00–08:00 | All day on Saturdays, Sundays, 6 January and national holidays |
Source: CNMC Circular 3/2020, published in the BOE (Official State Gazette), read 23 September 2026.
A decree-law of 20 March 2026 had cut VAT to 10 per cent and the special electricity tax from 5.11269632 to 0.5 per cent until 30 June, but the cut was not applied in June as energy prices had eased. According to the tax agency, a safeguard that could have revived it in August and September was not triggered, so the full electricity tax applied.
The bono social is for households on the PVPC in their habitual home that meet income or family criteria, such as income up to 1.5 times the IPREM (public income indicator, 14-payment version) or a large-family title. The usual discount of 35 per cent, or 50 per cent for severely vulnerable households, is 42.5 and 57.5 per cent until 31 December 2026, according to MITECO, the ecological transition ministry.
Gas: the regulated TUR
The regulated gas tariff, the TUR (last-resort tariff), covers homes using up to 50,000 kWh a year at up to 4 bar. The government sets it each quarter, identical at every last-resort retailer, and switching supplier is free and takes at most three weeks.
| Tariff | Annual use | Fixed term | Energy, excluding taxes |
|---|---|---|---|
| TUR.1 | Up to 5,000 kWh | €3.93 a month | 4.329798 cents per kWh |
| TUR.2 | 5,000–15,000 kWh | €8.11 a month | 4.119908 cents per kWh |
| TUR.3 | 15,000–50,000 kWh | €18.82 a month | 3.775844 cents per kWh |
Source: Directorate-General for Energy Policy and Mines, resolution of 25 June 2026 (BOE), prices from 1 July 2026, read 23 September 2026.
The revision due on 1 October 2026 was not yet published when we checked. Gas installations must be inspected every five years; your region sets the cost, which is charged on the gas bill, so never pay the inspector in cash.
Complaints go first to the retailer, or the distributor for outages, which must answer within 15 working days. The CNMC does not handle individual cases, so escalate to your region's consumer authority or the courts. Its official comparison tool reads your consumption from the QR code on your bill.
Broadband and mobile in Spain: what are your rights?
| Rule | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Contract length | No more than 24 months |
| After automatic renewal | Cancel at any time on at most one month's notice, at no cost |
| Changes to your contract | One month's notice; you may then cancel within one month at no extra cost |
| Cancelling | Notify at least two working days before it takes effect |
| Keeping your number | Activated within one working day; porting still possible a month after the contract ends |
| Minimum broadband | At least 10 Mbit/s download anywhere in Spain, as a universal service |
Source: Ley 11/2022 (General Telecommunications Act) and Real Decreto 899/2009, published in the BOE, read 23 September 2026.
Prepaid SIMs are not anonymous: operators must record each buyer's name, nationality and identity document number, so bring your passport or TIE (foreigner identity card). For disputes there is a free out-of-court procedure run by the ministry, which operators must accept.
Under Ley 10/2025 you can demand a human operator; 95 per cent of such requests must be answered within three minutes on average, and complaints resolved within 15 working days. There is no TV licence: the law funding RTVE, the public broadcaster, lists no household fee.
Home insurance in Spain: what is compulsory?
| Insurance | Compulsory? | The rule |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgaged home | Yes | Damage cover, theft excluded, for the appraised value without the land |
| Dog | Yes, since 29 September 2023 | Third-party liability for the dog's whole life; minimum cover to be set by regulation |
| Extraordinary risks | Included in any paid-up property, life or accident policy | Extraordinary floods, earthquakes and similar events are paid by the public Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, from 7 days after the policy is issued; helpline 900 222 665 |
Source: Real Decreto 716/2009, Ley 7/2023 on animal welfare and the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, read 23 September 2026.
Recycling in Spain: which bin, and who pays?
Under the waste law, Ley 7/2022, municipalities must collect paper, metals, plastic and glass separately and, by 31 December 2024, also textiles, used cooking oil, household hazardous waste and bulky waste. Light packaging goes in the yellow container; plastic or metal that is not packaging goes to a punto limpio (clean point) or the rest bin.
Each ayuntamiento (town hall) also had to bring in a separate waste fee (tasa de basuras) by April 2025, with the amount set locally. Barcelona shows how it works:
| Barcelona container | What goes in |
|---|---|
| Yellow | Plastics and metals (packaging) |
| Blue | Paper and cardboard |
| Green | Glass |
| Brown | Organic waste |
| Grey | Everything else |
| Punt Verd (clean point) | Anything that fits none of the containers |
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Council), read 23 September 2026.
Barcelona's fee, charged since 1 July 2020 with the water bill, costs about 557,000 households €27–51 a year, with up to 14 per cent off for using the Punts Verds. Old furniture is collected free on your street's set weekday: leave it by your door between 20:00 and 22:00, and check the day on 010 or 900 226 226.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get the CUPS code and boletín eléctrico for your home | Before you contract |
| 2 | Compare the PVPC with market offers on the CNMC tool | Before you sign |
| 3 | Contract electricity, and gas if you have it | Allow 5 to 7 working days |
| 4 | Check whether you qualify for the bono social | Higher rate until 31 December 2026 |
| 5 | Sign broadband and mobile, checking length and porting | Your first week |
| 6 | Insure a mortgaged home and any dog | Before completion, or when the dog arrives |
| 7 | Learn your ayuntamiento's bins and waste fee | Your first week |
Source: CNMC, MITECO and the BOE, 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.
- CNMC – Fácil para ti: Comercialización y suministro eléctrico · cnmc.es
- BOE – Real Decreto 446/2023, de 13 de junio · boe.es
- BOE – Real Decreto 216/2014 (consolidated) and RD 446/2023 · boe.es
- BOE – Circular 3/2020 de la CNMC (peajes de transporte y distribución) · boe.es
- Agencia Tributaria – IVA: Novedades de normativa 2026 · sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es
- BOE – Real Decreto-ley 18/2026, de 29 de junio (preamble) · boe.es
- Agencia Tributaria – Impuestos especiales: novedad 01/09/2026 · sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es
- MITECO – Bono social: ¿Qué es? · miteco.gob.es
- MITECO – Bono social: Requisitos · miteco.gob.es
- CNMC – Fácil para ti: Consumidores de gas · cnmc.es
- BOE – Resolución de 25 de junio de 2026, DGPEM, tarifa de último recurso de gas natural · boe.es
- BOE – Ley 10/2025, de 26 de diciembre, servicios de atención a la clientela · boe.es
- BOE – Ley 11/2022 General de Telecomunicaciones, art. 67.7 · boe.es
- BOE – Real Decreto 899/2009, carta de derechos del usuario de comunicaciones electrónicas, art. 7 · boe.es
- BOE – Ley 25/2007, conservación de datos, disposición adicional única · boe.es
- BOE – Ley 8/2009, de financiación de la Corporación RTVE, art. 2 · boe.es
- BOE – Real Decreto 716/2009 (mercado hipotecario), art. 10 · boe.es
- BOE – Ley 7/2023, de protección de los derechos y el bienestar de los animales, art. 30.3 · boe.es
- Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros – Riesgos extraordinarios (requisitos, coberturas) · consorseguros.es
- BOE – Ley 7/2022, de residuos y suelos contaminados, art. 25 · boe.es
- BOE – Real Decreto 1055/2022, de envases y residuos de envases, art. 47 · boe.es
- Ajuntament de Barcelona – Contenedores en la calle · ajuntament.barcelona.cat
- Ajuntament de Barcelona – La tasa de recogida de residuos municipales · ajuntament.barcelona.cat
- Ajuntament de Barcelona – Recogida de muebles y trastos viejos · ajuntament.barcelona.cat
- MITECO – Envases: ¿Cómo se separan y se recogen? · miteco.gob.es
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.