Before anything else: this guide is general information from a fellow expat, not legal advice. Complaint rules depend on your contract, your region and the companies involved, and they change. Check current procedures on the official links below, and for a large amount in dispute consider a consumer association or a lawyer.
Is this a success story?
Not yet. This is a live case, written from the middle of it, and I will update this page as it moves. The outcome is still open, but most of what I have learned does not depend on how it ends: who to complain to, what evidence counts, and which escalation route fits which contract.
Our electricity bills in Valencia showed consumption we could not explain. I complained to our supplier, then to the distributor that owns the meter. The supplier's first answer was a template. The distributor's first answer dismissed the test I had run. After a reasoned reply, the distributor agreed to send a maintenance team to rule out a meter mix-up. That visit is the next step. I will add the result here.
Who do I complain to about an electricity bill in Spain: the supplier or the distributor?
It depends on what is wrong. Spain splits your electricity between two companies, and most people only ever talk to one of them.
| Comercializadora (supplier) | Distribuidora (distributor) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Sells you the electricity and sends the bill | Owns the wires and the meter, reads the meter |
| Do you choose it? | Yes, you can switch any time | No, it is fixed by where you live |
| Complain here about | Prices, tariff, contract terms, billing errors | The meter, the readings, the supply itself |
| In Valencia | Whoever your contract is with | Usually i-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes (Iberdrola group) |
Your bill names both companies and shows your CUPS, the 20-to-22-character code that identifies your supply point. In the city of Valencia and most of the Valencian Community the distributor is i-DE, whose free line for supply problems is 900 171 171. If your problem is that the meter reads more than you use, the supplier can only pass on what the distributor's meter says. The person who can actually look at the meter is the distributor.
Can I complain to the distributor directly, and does it cost anything?
Yes, and it is free. You do not need to go through your supplier. The distributor identifies you by your CUPS, so have it ready with a copy of the bill and your evidence. i-DE takes complaints through its customer area online and by phone.
There is a legal deadline for the answer. Under article 103 of Real Decreto 1955/2000, distributors must answer complaints about metering, bills and wrongful disconnections within five working days for supplies under 15 kW, which covers almost every home. That is roughly a week, and it is worth quoting if the answer is slow.
A complaint is not a meter test. You can also ask the distributor for a formal verificación of the meter's accuracy. That is a different procedure: if the test finds no fault, you pay for it. Start with the free complaint and only ask for a paid test if you have a reason to think the meter itself is inaccurate, rather than mixed up, misread or wired to the wrong flat.
How do I get my real hourly electricity consumption?
Use Datadis, the free national platform set up by the Spanish electricity distributors. You register with your NIE or DNI as the contract holder, and it shows the readings your smart meter sends: hourly consumption you can download as a CSV, usually up to the day before yesterday and going back up to two years.
This matters because it is the distributor's own data, independent of whatever your supplier chooses to show in its app. If the supplier's bill and the Datadis totals disagree, you have a billing complaint for the supplier. If both agree and the numbers still make no sense, the question is about the meter, and that goes to the distributor.
Why does my supplier's app show strange numbers?
Supplier portals are convenient and unreliable in very specific ways. Two I ran into:
- The wrong address by default. If you have ever had a contract at another address with the same supplier, the portal may open on that old supply point every time you log in. Check the address and CUPS at the top before reading any graph.
- Telemetry artefacts in the hourly graph. You may see an hour reading zero followed by an hour reading double. That is usually a reading arriving late and being booked to the next hour, not a real spike. Trust the daily totals rather than the shape hour by hour, and cross-check against Datadis.
How do I run a no-load test that the company cannot dismiss?
A no-load test is simple: switch everything off at the main breaker, read the meter, wait, and read it again. If the meter still counts consumption with the house switched off, something is wrong. The detail that decides whether anyone takes it seriously is timing.
- Run it across whole clock hours. Smart meters record consumption per hour. Switch off before, say, 10:00 and back on after 12:00, so that the 10:00 to 11:00 and 11:00 to 12:00 hours are entirely "off". A test that covers part of two hours will be dismissed, because current was flowing for part of each measured hour.
- Photograph the meter itself, not only the display: the serial number and the label, so nobody can later say you read a different meter. In a block of flats, this also proves which meter is yours.
- Record exact times with each photo: when you switched off, each reading, when you switched back on.
- Download the same hours from Datadis a couple of days later and put them side by side with your photos.
My first no-load test spanned parts of two hours. The distributor dismissed it on exactly that ground: current had been flowing for part of each hour it was measured against. The test was right in spirit and useless in form. Run it over whole hours the first time and you skip a round of letters.
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What if the first reply ignores my evidence?
Expect it. A supplier's first-line answer is often a template that does not engage with anything you sent and states that your readings are "consistent with your consumption history". Do not take that as the end.
- Keep the sentence that commits them to something. Templates often include a line saying the case has been, or will be, passed to the distributor. Quote that sentence back in your next message and ask for the distributor's answer.
- Reply with reasons, not volume. Answer their stated ground point by point, attach the evidence again, and say what you are asking for (a visit, a corrected bill, a check that the meter is the right one).
- Count on two rounds. A second round is normal, not a sign that you are wrong.
The supplier's first response was a template that did not mention my evidence. The distributor's first response dismissed the no-load test. Only after a reasoned reply did the distributor agree to send a maintenance team to rule out a meter mix-up. That is where the case stands as I write.
Where do I escalate an electricity complaint in the Valencian Community?
It depends on your contract type, and picking the wrong body can cost you weeks. Your bill says which one you have.
| Your contract | Where to escalate after the company |
|---|---|
| Free market (mercado libre, most contracts) | Consumer protection: your town's OMIC (in Valencia city, the Ayuntamiento's consumer office) or the Generalitat's consumer service, then consumer arbitration through the Junta Arbitral de Consumo |
| Regulated tariff (PVPC, with a reference supplier) | The Generalitat's energy service: the provincial Servicio Territorial de Industria, Energía y Minas, through the "reclamaciones en el sector energético" procedure on sede.gva.es |
| Network access (problems with the distributor's grid connection contract) | The same Generalitat energy service |
Consumer arbitration is free and its award is binding, but the company has to take part: many energy companies are signed up to it, others accept case by case. The Generalitat explains the energy route on its energy complaints page, and Valencia city's consumer complaint procedure is on sede.valencia.es.
Our contract is on the free market. I first headed for the regional energy service and only then realised it handles regulated-tariff and network-access matters, not free-market billing. For a free-market contract the route is consumer protection, then arbitration. Check your contract type before you file anything.
What evidence should I keep?
| Evidence | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Bills for at least the last 12 months | Shows when the change started and that it is not seasonal |
| Datadis hourly CSV for the same period | The distributor's own data, independent of the supplier |
| Photos of the meter serial number and label | Proves which meter you read |
| No-load test photos with exact times, across whole hours | The one test that cannot be argued away on timing |
| Every complaint reference number and reply | You will quote them at each step of escalation |
| The sentence where the supplier commits to escalate | Holds them to their own process |
If you are just setting up a flat and putting contracts in your name, our renting in Valencia guide covers the move-in side, and the cost of living guide has typical monthly utility costs so you can tell early whether a bill looks out of line.
Disputing an electricity bill in Spain: FAQ
Who do I complain to about a high electricity bill in Spain?
Prices, tariffs and billing errors go to your supplier (comercializadora), the company that sends the bill. Anything about the meter or the readings goes to the distributor (distribuidora), the company that owns the meter and the wires. Both names and your CUPS supply code are printed on your bill.
Who is the electricity distributor in Valencia?
In the city of Valencia and most of the Valencian Community the distributor is i-DE Redes Eléctricas Inteligentes, part of the Iberdrola group, whatever supplier you have chosen. Its free line for supply problems is 900 171 171. Your bill names your distributor.
Can I complain to the electricity distributor directly?
Yes, free of charge, using your CUPS supply point code. You do not have to go through your supplier. Under article 103 of Real Decreto 1955/2000, distributors must answer complaints about metering, bills and wrongful disconnections within five working days for supplies under 15 kW, which covers almost every home.
How can I see my real hourly electricity consumption in Spain?
Register free on Datadis (datadis.es), the platform set up by the Spanish electricity distributors, using the NIE or DNI of the contract holder. It shows your smart meter's hourly readings, usually up to the day before yesterday and going back up to two years, and lets you download them as a CSV.
Does a meter accuracy test cost money?
It can. A complaint to the distributor is free, but a formal accuracy test (verificación) of the meter is charged to you if it finds no fault. Start with the free complaint, and only request a paid test if you have a specific reason to think the meter itself is inaccurate.
How do I do a no-load test on my electricity meter?
Switch everything off at the main breaker, read the meter, wait, and read again. Run it across whole clock hours, for example from just before 10:00 until just after 12:00, because smart meters record per hour and a test covering part of an hour can be dismissed. Photograph the meter serial number and label as well as the readings, and note exact times.
Where do I escalate an electricity complaint in the Valencian Community?
It depends on your contract. For a free-market contract, go to consumer protection (your town's OMIC or the Generalitat's consumer service) and then consumer arbitration. For a regulated PVPC contract or a network access problem, go to the Generalitat's provincial Servicio Territorial de Industria, Energía y Minas through the energy complaints procedure on sede.gva.es.
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