Electricity in Bulgaria: Suppliers, Prices and Bills

What a kilowatt-hour costs, August 2026

These are the final regulated prices from KEVR decision C-13 of 1 July 2026, valid to 30 June 2027. The energy component is identical nationwide — 0.09297 EUR/kWh day, 0.04103 EUR/kWh night, before VAT — and only network charges differ, so the whole national spread is under half a cent.

VAT is 20% and already sits inside the first two columns. The weighted average rise on 1 July 2026 was 3.05%: 3.14% at Electrohold, 3.28% at EVN, 2.53% at Energo-Pro, 5.79% at Golden Sands. KEVR's chairman, citing Eurostat, said only Hungary and Malta have cheaper household electricity in the EU — the regulator's framing, not a figure checked here.

A Sofia one-bedroom burning 250 kWh in a mild month pays about 38.50 EUR if it all falls on the day rate. A 90 sq m apartment heated by air conditioners through January can reach 700 kWh, roughly 108 EUR. Put your own numbers into the cost-of-living calculator; utility setup covers water and heating.

What is actually on the bill

There is no fixed monthly standing charge for households, which surprises arrivals from the UK, Germany or Ireland. Everything is per kilowatt-hour: KEVR prices household network access per kWh, while businesses pay per kW per day. Electrohold as the worked example, excluding VAT:

Add 20% VAT and that is your bill. Two things you might expect are missing: the "obligation to society" charge is set at 0.00 EUR/MWh for 2026-27, and there is no excise line on a household invoice.

One cost never appears here at all. Electricity for the building's common parts — stairwell, lift, entry phone — is normally metered separately and collected by the building manager with the maintenance fee. Ask what it runs to before you sign; renting long term explains those fees.

Day and night tariff: almost always worth it

Night hours are the same for every supplier and shift with the season:

• 1 November to 31 March: night runs 22:00 to 06:00
• 1 April to 31 October: night runs 23:00 to 07:00

Here is the part nobody tells you. KEVR sets the single-scale price and the two-scale day price at exactly the same figure, 0.09297 EUR/kWh. A two-tariff meter does not penalize daytime use at all — it just adds eight cheaper hours, at roughly 60% of the day rate once network charges are in. Shifting 40% of a 700 kWh winter month to night saves about 17 EUR, which is why Bulgarian water heaters have timers. If your meter has one scale, ask the distributor about changing it.

Reading and paying the bill

Bills are monthly, issued after the distributor reads your meter, and the window is short. At Electrohold the invoice is due 10 days after issue, and supply can be cut a further 10 days later, after a warning by email, SMS, phone or letter.

No paper invoice arrives by default — register for e-invoices on your supplier's website using the client number from an existing bill. Learn three identifiers, because support asks for one before anything else: the client number (you), the ITN or partida (this property and meter), and the meter number on the device.

Ways to pay:

• The supplier's website or app, by card
• ePay.bg, or an EasyPay cash desk — there is one in most neighborhoods; ask what fee applies
• Direct debit from a Bulgarian account, arranged at your branch; see opening a bank account

Direct debit is the sane default given the 10-day window, but read the first two statements: it pays whatever is billed, including a misread meter.

The debt trap at move-in

The legal position is broadly on your side and will still not help you much. An unpaid bill is a contractual debt of the person named on the account, not a charge on the bricks, so a buyer does not simply inherit the seller's arrears. But the meter feeds the property, and the distributor cuts the property whoever lives there. Getting it back on means clearing the old balance, paying the reconnection fee, then chasing a stranger.

1. Before signing, ask for a current statement showing a zero balance, and check it yourself on the supplier's site using the client number.
2. Photograph the meter on handover day and write the readings into the handover protocol or lease annex.
3. If buying, make a clean utilities balance a condition of completion. Buying property as a foreigner has the wider checklist.

Putting the account in your name

Electrohold asks for its application form, a document proving your right to the property (title deed or lease), your ID, and — if you rent — an owner's consent declaration on its own template, signed in front of a supplier employee, before a notary, or with a Bulgarian qualified electronic signature. Add a power of attorney if someone else applies for you. There is normally no charge for the transfer, but confirm that with your own supplier: the three companies run different procedures.

Do it anyway. If the account stays in the landlord's name you cannot see the balance, dispute a reading, or claim the winter heating allowance — 64.39 EUR a month, 321.95 EUR in total, for the five months from 1 November 2026 to 31 March 2027, means-tested. Applications have historically closed at the end of October, so check the Agency for Social Assistance page early.

When the power goes out

Faults are the distributor's job, not the supplier's, and the numbers differ:

• ERM Zapad (west, including Sofia): 0700 10 010
• Elektrorazpredelenie Yug (EVN): 0700 1 0007
• Elektrorazpredelenie Sever (Energo-Pro): 0700 161 61 or 0700 359 10

All three publish planned interruptions on their websites, searchable by address. Village and mountain supply drops in storms more often than a Western European expects, and restoration can take a day; a surge protector on the boiler and router is cheap insurance.

FAQ

Can I choose a cheaper electricity company in Bulgaria?

Only by leaving the regulated tariff for a free-market trader, which in 2026 will almost certainly cost more: the regulated energy price is supported by about 25 EUR per MWh. Your distributor never changes — it is a regional monopoly and owns your meter either way.

Is electricity expensive in Bulgaria?

No. At about 0.15 EUR per kWh including VAT it is among the cheapest household electricity in the EU. The catch is the building stock: apartments are often poorly insulated and many are heated entirely by electricity, so a January bill can be three times a June one.

Do I need a Bulgarian ID number to open an electricity account?

You need an identity document and proof of your right to the property. Residents use their EGN, or the LNCh issued with a residence card; see the lichna karta guide. Without either, leave the account in the owner's name for now.

What happens if I pay late?

At Electrohold, disconnection becomes possible 10 days after the invoice falls due, and only after a warning. Reconnection means the arrears plus the distributor's fee. Ask about an instalment plan before the cut-off, not after.

Should I switch to a two-tariff meter?

In most cases yes. The day price on a two-scale meter is identical to the single-scale price, so the only real downside is any one-off charge for the meter change. Ask your distributor, not your supplier.

Sources

• KEVR decision C-13 of 1 July 2026
• KEVR supplier-switching platform
• Electrohold — regulated household prices
• Electrohold — transferring an account
• Electrohold — disconnection for non-payment
• ERM Zapad — access and transmission prices
• Energo-Pro — prices and tariff hours
• Energo-Pro — new prices from 1 July 2026
• Elektrorazpredelenie Sever — planned interruptions
• Elektrorazpredelenie Yug — contacts and fault line
• EVN Bulgaria
• Agency for Social Assistance — heating allowance 2026/2027
• The Sofia Globe — 3.05% increase approved
• BTA — MPs postpone household liberalization

Regulated prices change each 1 July; check your supplier's tariff page before relying on a figure here. This is general information, not legal or financial advice.