2. Cancel within the cooling-off period

After you sign, renew, or extend an energy contract, you have a few days to change your mind and cancel the contract without paying anything. This is called the “cooling-off period”.

The cooling off period if you sign a new contract is different than if you renew or extend your current contract.

• For new contracts, the cooling-off period is 10 days after you sign the contract.
• For renewed or extended contracts, the cooling-off period is 14 days after you renew or extend the contract. The date you renewed or extended the contract is the date that you:
  • mailed the documents to the energy retailer to renew or extend your contract, or
  • agreed to the extension or renewal by phone or by email.

If you cancel your contract within 10 or 14 days, you do not have to pay a cancellation fee or any bills for the electricity or natural gas you used during that time.

How to cancel

Your energy contract should include information about how to cancel your contract. This information might also be on your energy retailer’s website.

You can always cancel by writing to the energy retailer. Sometimes you can cancel by phone.

If you cancel by phone, the energy retailer must record the call and send you written confirmation of your cancellation.

The law says energy retailers have to let you cancel your contract by writing. But they do not always have to let you cancel by phone. Check what your contract says. If your contract says that you cannot cancel by phone, then you have to cancel by writing to your energy retailer.