Information for consumers

General conditions of electricity supply

In the retail electricity market, the consumption and use of electricity for the consumer’s installation requires arrangements for distribution/transmission and the sale (supply) of electricity under contracts on distribution/transmission, electricity supply, and commercial metering services concluded in accordance with the Retail Electricity Market Rules (RREMR), the Transmission System Code, the Distribution Systems Code, and the Commercial Metering Code.

Electricity is supplied by the electricity supplier under an electricity supply contract with the consumer, prepared by the supplier on the basis of the Model Electricity Supply Contract and concluded in the manner established by the RREMR.

A change of the electricity supplier for any reason, change of the supplier’s organisational and legal form, ownership or economic status, or change of consumer at the facility under the procedure set by the RREMR cannot lead to restriction or termination of electricity supply to the consumer if the latter complies with its obligations under the contract and the RREMR. To exercise the right to freely choose an electricity supplier, the consumer must have a contract on the provision of electricity distribution (transmission) services with the system operator.

In the retail market, electricity consumption (use) by a consumer without a contract concluded with an electricity supplier under the RREMR, as well as without other contracts envisaged by the RREMR, is not allowed.

To ensure electricity supply to consumers, suppliers buy and sell electricity under bilateral contracts and/or on the day-ahead market, the intraday market, and the balancing market, as well as through imports.

Supply terms and the rights and obligations of the supplier and the consumer are set out in the electricity supply contract. The contract specifies:

1. the supplier’s name and location;
2. the list of services provided by the supplier;
3. the price of electricity and the services provided;
4. electricity-supply quality indicators, including power quality;
5. types of technical maintenance services offered by the supplier;
6. the conditions and procedure for compensation in case of failure to comply with quality indicators;
7. the procedure and means of communicating up-to-date information on tariffs, technical maintenance costs, expected price changes, and supply conditions;
8. the procedure for organising commercial metering of electricity and providing metering data;
9. the procedure for the consumer to submit appeals, claims and complaints, the supplier’s review procedure, and methods for initiating dispute-resolution procedures;
10. the term of the contract, the conditions for termination, prolongation and dissolution, including unilaterally by the consumer in the event of a change of supplier;
11. the supplier’s obligations to provide the consumer with information on consumer rights protection;
12. the rights and obligations of the supplier and the consumer in the event of inability to fulfil their obligations and in the event of a temporary suspension of supply;
13. other provisions depending on the specifics and type of services provided by the supplier.

The general provisions and terms of the contract must be fair and transparent, set out clearly, and free of procedural barriers that complicate the exercise of consumer rights. No provision of the contract may restrict the consumer’s right to change supplier.

Consumer rights

The rights and obligations of the consumer are exercised under the Retail Electricity Market Rules, approved by NEURC Resolution No. 312.

The electricity consumer has the right to:

1. connect its own electrical installations to the system operator’s networks or networks of another electricity-network owner under the procedure set by the Distribution Systems Code or the Transmission System Code;
2. choose the electricity supplier;
3. choose between commercial offers with different tariff plans;
4. hold simultaneously more than one electricity supply contract, subject to compliance with the Rules and the Commercial Metering Code;
5. buy electricity for its own consumption under bilateral contracts under the Market Rules and on organised market segments;
6. receive quality services for distribution (transmission), supply and commercial metering of electricity;
7. change supplier under the conditions defined by the Law of Ukraine “On the Electricity Market” and the Rules;
8. receive electricity of due quality under the contract terms and electricity quality standards;
9. obtain information on power quality, tariffs (prices), payment procedure, distribution and consumption conditions and modes;
10. compensation applied in case of non-compliance with electricity-supply quality indicators;
11. compensation for damages under the contract terms and Ukrainian legislation;
12. address the supplier on the modification of contractual terms in the manner provided by the Rules;
13. receive notice from the supplier of any intended changes to the contract no less than 20 days before such changes take effect, and in case of disagreement to terminate the contract with the supplier without paying contractual penalties for early termination.

Consumer obligations

The electricity consumer is obliged to:

1. use electricity only on the basis of a contract (contracts);
2. pay for electricity and services under the concluded contracts;
3. in case of incomplete payment for consumed electricity, cease its own consumption under the contract terms;
4. pay invoices issued on the basis of acts on violations of the Rules and contract terms;
5. comply with the rules of technical operation, safety rules during operation of its own electrical installations, market regulations, and contract terms;
6. ensure the proper technical condition and safe operation of its electrical installations and appliances;
7. preserve the integrity of commercial metering devices and seals installed on its territory and/or facility;
8. immediately notify the system operator and the commercial metering services provider of any malfunction of metering devices;
9. provide settlement documents at the request of representatives of the supplier and/or the system operator to verify the correctness of payments and consistency with metering readings;
10. provide access for representatives of the system operator to the consumer’s facility for technical inspection of metering devices, electrical installations and wiring, measurement of power quality, and monitoring of electricity consumption;
11. no later than 20 working days before discontinuing the use of electricity at the consumer’s facility, give written notice to the supplier, the system operator and the commercial metering services provider on the dissolution of contracts and settle accounts for electricity consumed up to the date of departure.

Rights and obligations of the supplier

The electricity supplier has the right to:

1. timely and full receipt of payment for the electricity sold under the concluded contracts;
2. request the system operator to disconnect (limit) the consumer’s power supply in cases set out in the Rules, except in cases of supply to vulnerable consumers;
3. request the system operator to restore the consumer’s power supply in cases set out in the Rules;
4. non-discriminatory access to distribution and transmission systems;
5. unrestricted access to commercial metering devices installed at consumer facilities;
6. charge penalties and apply other sanctions for late payment for consumed electricity in accordance with legal requirements;
7. recover damages from the consumer;
8. where there is debt amounting to the value of electricity consumed during the previous two months, terminate the electricity supply contract under its terms.

The electricity supplier is obliged to:

1. conclude contracts mandatory for carrying out electricity supply activities and comply with the terms of those contracts;
2. supply electricity at free prices under the supply contract and in compliance with the Rules;
3. supply electricity on a non-discriminatory basis;
4. refrain from unfair competitive practices towards consumers;
5. ensure the transparency of the provisions and terms of contracts with consumers;
6. provide in the invoice issued to the consumer information on: the share of each energy source in the supplier’s overall balance; references to public information on the environmental impact of electricity production; addresses, telephone numbers and web pages for submitting appeals, claims, complaints and notices of electricity-safety threats;
7. provide consumers with data on their electricity consumption in the manner set by the Rules;
8. maintain its own official website on the Internet;
9. review consumer appeals, complaints and claims and provide reasoned responses;
10. supply electricity in compliance with the established quality indicators;
11. inform consumers of any changes to the supply contract no less than 20 days before they take effect, with information on the consumer’s right to terminate the contract;
12. provide unrestricted and free-of-charge access to information in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On Specifics of Access to Information in the Areas of Electricity, Natural Gas, Heating, Centralised Hot-Water Supply, Centralised Drinking Water Supply and Sewerage”.

Procedure for disconnection / restoration of the consumer’s power supply

As a general rule, electricity is supplied uninterruptedly to a consumer who fulfils its contractual obligations to the transmission system operator and/or the distribution system operator and the supplier.

However, the legislation provides for cases in which the supply of electricity may be terminated in whole or in part.

The supply of electricity to the consumer may be terminated in whole or in part by the supplier provided that the consumer is given notice no less than 10 working days before disconnection in case of:

• arrears in payment for consumed electricity under the contract terms with the supplier;
• denial of access for authorised representatives of the supplier to the commercial metering devices located on the consumer’s territory.

A notice of full or partial supply termination is drawn up after the existence of grounds is established and is delivered to the consumer in a separate written statement specifying the ground, the date and time from which supply will be terminated in whole or in part, and the surname, first name, patronymic, and signature of the responsible officer.

The date of receipt of such notices is deemed to be the date of personal delivery, confirmed by the recipient’s signature and/or registration of incoming correspondence, or the third calendar day from the date of receipt by the postal office serving the recipient (in the case of registered post).

If the consumer eliminates the violation within the established period, properly confirmed in advance (before the date of disconnection), the supply of electricity is not terminated.

The system operator, within one working day of providing the consumer with a notice of disconnection, informs the consumer’s electricity supplier and the commercial metering administrator.

Restoration of power supply at the consumer’s installations is carried out by the system operator within 3 working days in cities and 5 working days in rural areas after receiving information from the initiator of the disconnection on the elimination of the consumer’s violations, confirmed by the relevant document of the market participant at whose request the disconnection was carried out.