Best electricity supplier for students

Choosing an electricity supplier as a student isn't quite the same as for a household: small consumption, a short lease, a move every September, bills split between flatmates. And the real first question isn't "who's the cheapest?" but "can I even choose?". Here's how to decide, without getting it wrong.

The essentials:

• Before comparing, check whether your flat's electricity is in your name: if it's included in the rent, you don't choose the supplier.
• For a student flat, go for a variable, flexible contract you can cancel free of charge — you move often.
• Mega and Bolt suit best: low price, no commitment, 100% online management. OCTA+ is a Belgian alternative.
• On low consumption, watch the fixed standing charge as much as the price per kWh.
• In shared housing, one contract in one flatmate's name, then split the bill.

For the full market picture, see our ranking of the best electricity suppliers.

Which electricity supplier should you choose as a student?

For a student who manages their own contract, the best-suited suppliers are those combining a low price, no commitment and 100% online management: Mega and Bolt at the front, OCTA+ as a Belgian alternative. Mega, the Liège-based supplier, is often the cheapest on the raw price — its electricity deals start around €1,039/year for a standard household and impose neither cancellation nor transfer fees. Bolt relies on a fully digital experience, with no commitment and a handy tracking app when you manage a student budget closely. OCTA+, the largest independent multi-energy supplier and 100% Belgian, present in all three regions, offers deals from €1,123/year. The incumbents Engie and Luminus remain defensible for those who want a large network and phone support, but they generally bill a little more. Here are the benchmarks, for a "student flat" profile (recorded mid-2026, to check for your region):

These benchmarks don't replace a simulation: the ranking changes depending on whether your flat is in Wallonia, Brussels or Flanders.

Is your student flat's electricity really in your name?

This is the question to settle before any comparison: you can only choose a supplier if the contract is in your name. Three situations exist. First, electricity is included in the rent or the charges: the landlord holds the contract and chooses the supplier — you compare nothing, you only check that the charges package is reasonable. Second, the meter is in your name: there, you choose freely and you can save. Third, common in large student houses, a shared meter for the building, split by the landlord in proportion to the rooms. The case I see most often with students is the grey area: no one really knows who holds the contract. The useful reflex is to ask the landlord, as soon as you sign the lease, for the meter's EAN code and its type — that single question tells you immediately which case you're in.

Should you take a fixed or flexible contract for a student flat?

For a student flat, a variable, flexible contract is almost always the right choice. The reason is twofold: you rarely stay more than one academic year in the same place, and the variable contract works out cheaper on average than the fixed one. Locking a fixed tariff for nine months therefore makes little sense. And one misconception needs correcting: in Belgium, every residential energy contract can be cancelled at any time on a simple one month's notice, with no break fee, fixed or variable. You're never locked in. In other words, flexibility is guaranteed by law anyway; the only real trade-off is price, and variable wins most often. One detail worth checking, though: if your flat has a dual-rate meter (day/night), look for a deal that rewards your off-peak hours — handy if you run the washing machine and cooking in the evening.

How do you manage electricity in shared housing?

In shared housing, the principle is simple: the supplier bills only one account holder, and the bill is then split between flatmates. In practice, one flatmate puts the contract in their name, then everyone pays back their share. To avoid friction — the perennial flatmate battleground — three reflexes: set a monthly advance per person, put a simple agreement in writing (who pays what, when), and take a meter reading at each arrival or departure to split fairly. Careful: the account holder is legally liable in case of non-payment — that's no small thing, so it's best that it's someone reliable and that the others pay their advance on time. On the student cases I see come through, shared-housing disputes almost always come from the same place: no one took the meter reading when a flatmate left mid-year.

How do you pay less in a small student flat?

In a small student flat, the fixed standing charge matters as much as the price per kWh — because you use little. A student flat or studio often runs between 1,000 and 1,500 kWh per year, an indicative electricity bill of €300 to €450/year all in, depending on the region and the network operator. On such a small volume, a high standing charge can wipe out the advantage of a cheap kWh: so compare the total annual cost, not the headline price alone. Three concrete levers: choose a deal with a low standing charge, settle for a 3 kVA meter (plenty for a student flat, and cheaper than a higher rating), and cut the hidden big items — appliance standby, an old power-hungry fridge, an electric space heater left on. To see where the market's cheapest deals sit, lean on our ranking of electricity suppliers.

How do you subscribe and cancel when you leave your student flat?

Subscribing needs two pieces of information: the meter's EAN code and its reading (the figures) on the day you move in. You give them to the chosen supplier, who organises the changeover with no cut; the physical network, run by your distribution operator (Ores, Fluvius, Resa or Sibelga depending on the municipality), doesn't change. When leaving, the classic end-of-lease mistake I see most often is moving out without taking the reading: you then risk paying the next tenant's consumption. The right reflex is to note the closing reading and fill in the energy handover document with the landlord or the flatmate who stays. Cancellation itself is on one month's notice, free of charge.

In short, a student pays a fair price for electricity by first checking that the contract is in their name, then choosing a variable, flexible deal with a low standing charge — Mega or Bolt at the front, OCTA+ as a Belgian alternative. Before signing, always check your exact case on the official comparator of the CREG, the VREG (V-Test) or the CWaPE (CompaCWaPE), and compare the whole market in our ranking of the best electricity suppliers.