Maintenance and insurance add-ons sold with energy contracts

Key rules

• Optional: A supplier cannot make an add-on a condition of your supply or add it without your clear consent.
• Cancelling: You can end the add-on alone and keep your electricity or gas.
• Withdrawal: If you took the add-on by phone or online, you have 14 days to withdraw.
• Unwanted charges: Demand a refund in writing for any add-on you did not clearly accept.

Add-on prices, notice periods and penalties are set by each supplier, so confirm them on your offer sheet or contract.

Are add-ons required?

No. Maintenance plans and insurance are separate from your energy supply. A supplier cannot make them a condition of getting your electricity or gas, and cannot add them without your clear, express consent. Pre-ticked boxes are not allowed. If a salesperson says you must take one, say no.

What is usually on offer

Suppliers in the free market commonly sell:

• Home electrical or gas maintenance plans (mantenimiento), covering call-outs and repairs.
• Boiler and heating plans with a yearly inspection.
• Insurance for appliances or gas pipes.
• Home emergency assistance (urgencias).
• Surge-protection or electrical-panel cover.
• Bundles with legal or repair help.

What it costs

The price is a monthly fee set by each company, so there is no official scale. Basic electrical cover is often a few euros a month. Boiler or gas plans with an annual inspection usually cost more. Check the current price on the supplier's offer sheet.

How to decide

1. Ask for the monthly price, what is covered, the exclusions, the deductible and the minimum term.
2. Compare a year of fees with what one call-out would cost you.
3. Read the notice period and any penalty clause. These must be written in the contract.

If the plan covers little or duplicates cover you already have, skip it.

Check what you are already paying

Look at your contract and bills for charges listed apart from the energy charges. Add-ons must be shown separately. If you see one you never clearly accepted, treat it as unauthorised and ask for a refund in writing.

How to cancel

Contact the supplier by customer service, written notice or the channel you used to sign up. Ask to end the add-on only and keep your supply. Keep proof that you sent the request.

If you took the add-on by phone or online, you have a 14-day right of withdrawal.

If the supplier refuses

Send a written claim to the supplier's customer service. A reply is due within one month. If the answer is no or never comes, go to your regional consumer office (OMIC), the consumer arbitration board or the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' energy-claims channel.

The timeline, documents and checklist below walk you through each step.

Timeline and deadlines

• Read the add-on's price, exclusions, deductible and minimum term: before you accept it

• Withdraw from the add-on if you contracted it by phone or online: within 14 days of signing

• Send a written request to end the add-on alone and keep a copy: as soon as you see an add-on you do not want

• Wait for the supplier's answer to your written claim: within one month of sending it

• Take the claim to the regional consumer office (OMIC), the consumer arbitration board or the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' energy-claims channel: if the supplier refuses or does not answer in time

Documents you need

• Your contract or offer sheet showing the add-on, its price and any minimum-term or penalty clause. You get it from your supplier.

• Your written request to end the add-on alone and keep the supply, sent through customer service, by written notice or by the channel you used to sign up.

• Proof that you sent the request, such as a copy of the message, a receipt or a confirmation from the supplier.

• A written demand for a refund, needed only if the add-on was added without your clear consent.

Checklist

• Compare the monthly fee with what a one-off call-out would cost you.

• Refuse any add-on offered as a condition of getting the supply.

• Read the add-on's notice period and penalty clause before you cancel.

• Keep proof of your cancellation request.

• Demand a refund in writing for any add-on charged without your consent.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a maintenance add-on cost per month?

Basic electrical cover usually costs a few euros per month, and boiler or gas service plans with a yearly inspection cost more. Each company sets its own price, so there is no official scale.

Can a supplier make me take an add-on to get the electricity supply?

No, a supplier cannot make an add-on a condition of your supply contract, because add-ons are optional and separate from the energy supply. They must also be shown separately from the regulated energy and access charges on your paperwork.

Can I cancel an add-on and keep my electricity or gas supply?

Yes, you can ask to end the add-on alone and keep your supply running as it is. Before you do, read the add-on's own terms for its notice period and any penalty, since minimum-term clauses must be written in the contract.