The first question in a Swiss flat is not "Which utility company should I choose?" It is "Which services are already arranged through the building, and which contracts belong to me?"
Most households cannot choose their electricity supplier freely. Heating and hot water often appear in rental ancillary costs, while home internet is a competitive contract that can carry activation fees, loan equipment and a long minimum term. Treating all three as ordinary monthly subscriptions causes avoidable mistakes.
This guide gives renters a sequence for identifying, activating and budgeting each service. Exact providers and charges depend on the address and lease.
Begin with the lease and handover documents
Create three columns before ordering anything:
| Already included or arranged | Tenant must activate | Still unclear |
|---|---|---|
| Services named in the rent or ancillary-cost clause | Individually metered services and chosen subscriptions | Anything described only verbally |
The Federal Housing Office’s English guide explains that tenants usually pay rent plus additional charges for services such as heating, hot water and cable television. Where charges are paid on account, the landlord should provide a detailed annual statement. The tenant may then owe a balance or receive money back.
Do not assume Nebenkosten means every household bill. Read which costs the lease expressly lists and whether they are:
- included in the rent;
- a fixed lump sum;
- monthly payments on account against actual annual costs;
- billed directly to the tenant.
At handover, record meter identifiers and readings with photographs. Ask the property manager to identify the electricity network operator, heating arrangement, water billing, cable connection and any existing fibre-optic outlet number.
Electricity: households usually cannot shop around
ElCom states that households and small consumers using less than 100 MWh a year are currently in basic supply and cannot freely select the electricity provider. They are served by the provider for the local supply area.
That means switching websites cannot normally obtain a new supplier for an ordinary flat. The practical actions are:
- Identify the local provider from the lease, meter or municipality.
- Submit the move-in date, address and meter details through its official process.
- Check whether the property manager completes the transfer.
- Confirm the tariff product and payment schedule.
- Keep the opening reading and first confirmation.
ElCom publishes a national tariff comparison by commune. Use it to understand the local rate and components, not to assume that a cheaper commune’s provider can supply the flat.
What is on the electricity bill in 2026?
ElCom describes five components: network usage, a separately shown metering tariff from 2026, the energy tariff, public-authority charges and national elements under the tariff framework. The exact layout depends on the provider.
For 2026, ElCom reported a median total price of 27.7 centimes per kWh for its typical H4 household profile using 4,500 kWh a year. That corresponds to a median annual bill of CHF 1,247 in its calculation. This is a national reference, not a quote for a particular address.
For a smaller flat using 2,000 kWh, multiplying 2,000 by CHF 0.277 gives an illustrative variable-cost reference of CHF 554. Fixed or metering elements and the local tariff can change the result. Use the commune-specific ElCom data and actual bill.
Heating, hot water and the Nebenkosten reconciliation
Heating and hot water can be a substantial part of ancillary charges. If the lease uses monthly payments on account, those payments are advances, not a guarantee of the final annual cost.
The Federal Housing Office says only additional costs listed in the rental contract may be charged and that tenants can request a detailed statement and inspect supporting documents. Compare:
- accounting period;
- total building cost;
- allocation key for the flat;
- heating and hot-water consumption where individually measured;
- advance payments already made;
- one-off corrections;
- balance due or credit.
Ask questions before a payment deadline, and contact the competent conciliation authority or qualified tenancy adviser if a material dispute remains.
Do not reduce heating below a safe or reasonable level solely to save money. Address excessive heat, draughts or faulty controls with the landlord. Energy-saving behaviour is useful, but building defects and tenant behaviour are different issues.
Internet: availability must be checked at the exact address
An advertised fibre speed is irrelevant if the building or flat cannot receive it. Check the full address and, for fibre, the OTO outlet identifier. Ask whether installation requires access to a shared technical room or landlord approval.
Compare providers using this formula:
Monthly charges during the minimum term + activation + installation + equipment + required bundle costs – guaranteed credits = minimum-term cost
Worked internet example
Suppose one plan costs CHF 50 per month with a 24-month minimum term and CHF 50 activation. Its minimum-term cost is CHF 1,250.
A second plan costs CHF 60 per month with no activation and no minimum term. It costs CHF 1,440 over 24 months, but only CHF 720 if the tenant leaves after 12 months and can cancel without another commitment.
The first plan is CHF 190 cheaper over two years. The second could be CHF 530 cheaper for a one-year stay. Contract flexibility has a measurable value.
Current provider terms show why the headline price is incomplete
Salt’s Home support pages state that customers should request a move at least five weeks ahead and that some line or outlet situations can take up to five weeks. Its published Home plan information has included a 24-month minimum duration and separate activation charges for internet and TV.
Sunrise states that Internet, TV and landline contracts normally require 60 days’ notice to the end of a month, while some promotions have a 24-month minimum duration. Its fee page lists charges that can apply for activation, early cancellation and unreturned loan equipment.
Swisscom offers address-dependent internet tiers and publishes the included speed and equipment. Open the final order summary and contractual documents rather than relying on a landing-page promotion that may expire.
These are examples of comparison fields, not recommendations for a provider.
Do not buy more speed than the home can use
The speed reaching a router is not the same as the speed reaching a distant bedroom. Thick walls, router placement, older devices and crowded Wi-Fi can make an expensive tier feel slow.
Before upgrading:
- test by Ethernet near the router;
- place the router in an open, central position where the connection allows;
- check whether the device supports the advertised Wi-Fi standard;
- identify whether several simultaneous users genuinely saturate the line;
- compare a mesh or wired access point with a permanent speed upgrade.
A household doing ordinary browsing, video calls and streaming may not benefit from 10 Gbit/s at each device. Choose based on simultaneous use and in-home network quality, not the largest number on the page.
TV, landline and streaming bundles
Remove anything not used. A bundle can be cheaper than separate services only if its components have value to the household.
Check:
- whether TV activation is separate;
- whether the TV box is loaned;
- replay or recording fees;
- premium-channel minimum terms;
- whether cancelling internet also cancels linked services;
- whether a mobile discount disappears if the mobile plan changes.
Compare an internet-only plan plus chosen streaming services with a television bundle over the same term. Our streaming-subscription savings guide covers rotation and duplicate content.
Water, rubbish and the broadcasting fee
Water may sit in ancillary costs or a municipal arrangement. Official rubbish bags or stickers are commonly paid as rubbish is disposed of, with local rules and prices. Ask the commune for the collection calendar and authorised bags rather than using a neighbouring municipality’s system.
The household radio and television fee is administered separately from an internet or TV package. Do not assume cancelling television service cancels the statutory household fee. Use Serafe’s official process for household or address corrections.
A realistic first-year bills reserve
Create a provisional budget until real statements arrive:
| Item | How to estimate |
|---|---|
| Electricity | Local tariff multiplied by expected kWh, plus fixed components |
| Heating and hot water | Lease advance plus a reconciliation buffer |
| Internet | Minimum-term cost divided by months, including activation |
| TV and streaming | Every linked monthly option |
| Rubbish | Official bags or stickers based on household use |
| One-off setup | Activation, installation, equipment and deposits |
Keep 10% to 20% above the monthly ancillary-cost advances during the first year if the prior statement is unavailable. This is a budgeting buffer, not a prediction that the full amount will be due.
Ask the landlord for the previous flat or building statement where available. Adjust after the first electricity bill and annual reconciliation.
Moving checklist
Four to six weeks before
- Read notice and moving terms for the existing internet contract.
- Check availability and OTO details at the new address.
- Notify the chosen provider within its stated lead time.
- Ask the landlord who handles electricity transfer.
On handover day
- Photograph all meters and identifiers.
- Record keys, router or building equipment received.
- Confirm which readings go to the landlord and utility.
- Test water, heating controls and installed outlets.
During the first month
- Verify opening readings and name spelling.
- Check direct-debit amounts and tariff products.
- Store the lease, handover protocol, provider confirmation and equipment serial numbers.
- Put cancellation and minimum-term dates in the calendar.
When leaving
- Give notice using the contractually valid channel.
- photograph final readings;
- return loan equipment on time and keep tracking;
- retain final invoices and any ancillary-cost statement still to come;
- provide a forwarding address.
The cheapest setup is the one whose responsibilities are clear. Identify what the lease covers, accept that household electricity is usually local basic supply, and compare internet by total commitment rather than the promotional monthly figure.
Sources
- ElCom electricity prices, basic supply and tariff comparison (checked 11 August 2026)
- ElCom 2026 tariff components (checked 11 August 2026)
- ElCom 2026 median household electricity price (checked 11 August 2026)
- Federal Housing Office guide for renters (checked 11 August 2026)
- Federal Housing Office on energy and ancillary-cost statements (checked 11 August 2026)
- Salt Home moving and contract support (checked 11 August 2026)
- Salt Home order and activation fees (checked 11 August 2026)
- Sunrise contract duration and notice periods (checked 11 August 2026)
- Sunrise service and early-cancellation fees (checked 11 August 2026)
- Swisscom home internet tiers and address ordering (checked 11 August 2026)