Set Up Utilities and Bills in a Rental

You signed the lease and you have the keys. Now nothing turns on the way you expect. The electricity is still billed to a stranger, the water corporation has never heard your name, the kitchen runs on a gas line you cannot see, and getting internet means dealing with two companies who each point at the other. None of this is hard once you know the order. This page walks each of the four services from the meter to the monthly bill, tells you what every connection and transfer costs, and shows you how to shut everything down cleanly on the day you leave so no charge follows you out the door. For how these lines fit your whole housing budget, see what renting really costs.

One boundary first: arnona is a tax, not a utility. It is the municipal charge, billed by the city on its own schedule, and it has its own rules for renters. We do not cover it here. Read the arnona page for renters for who pays it and how to put it in your name. The shared-building charge (lobby, lift, stairwell cleaning) is also separate; that is the vaad bayit.

The four services, and who owns each one

Israel splits home utilities across more companies than most newcomers expect. Knowing who controls each meter tells you who to call.

• Electricity: the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) owns the grid, reads the meter, and handles outages. Since a 2024 reform you may also pick a competing retail supplier for the energy itself while IEC keeps the wires.
• Water: there is no national water company. Your city or area has its own regional water corporation (tagid mayim), roughly 56 of them across the country. Examples: Mei Avivim in the Tel Aviv area, Hagihon in Jerusalem.
• Gas: either a shared central tank piped into the whole building, or individual cylinders (balonim) the tenant tracks and refills. A handful of veteran companies (Amisragas, Pazgas, SuperGas/Electra) supply both.
• Internet: two layers, two bills. An infrastructure company (Bezeq for fiber or phone line, HOT for cable) brings the connection to the wall, and a separate service provider (Partner, Cellcom, 012, Bezeq International) runs your account over it.

The single habit that protects you on all four: photograph every meter on the day you take possession, with the date visible. That reading is the line between what the previous tenant owes and what you owe, and you will need it again when you leave.

What each utility costs to start and to run

Two cost questions matter: the one-time cost to switch the account into your name, and the monthly bill afterward. Here they are side by side for a typical 3-room flat. Monthly bands are 2026 estimates and swing with the season and your household size.

Utility	One-time to connect or transfer	Typical monthly (3-room)	How billed
Electricity (IEC)	~NIS 8.5 transfer fee, no deposit	NIS 260 to 580	Every 2 months
Water (regional corporation)	Free (form-based change of holder)	~NIS 115	Every 2 months
Cooking gas	Usually none to transfer; cylinder deposit is refundable	NIS 50 to 100	Per refill or monthly
Internet (fiber or cable)	NIS 100 to 250 activation (plus possible ~NIS 900 fiber bring-in, often waived)	NIS 100 to 200	Monthly

An original tally, computed here (not an official figure): the one-time cost to switch all four accounts into your name runs from about NIS 110 to about NIS 1,160. Basis for the low end (the common case, building already wired for fiber): electricity 8.5 + water 0 + gas 0 + internet activation 100 = about NIS 108.5, round to NIS 110. Basis for the high end (top of the internet activation band plus a fresh fiber bring-in to an unwired building): 8.5 + 0 + 0 + 250 + 900 = NIS 1,158.5, round to NIS 1,160. Read it this way: in most flats, getting connected costs you barely more than a single internet activation, because the meters already exist and you are only renaming them. The only line that can balloon is internet infrastructure, and that almost always disappears when the building is already fibered (and carriers frequently run a 50% launch discount on it). A refundable gas cylinder deposit, where one applies, is money you get back, so it is not counted as spend.

A second original figure, computed here: the air conditioner is the whole story of your electricity bill. At the rate effective 1 January 2026 of 64.32 agorot per kWh including VAT (54.51 agorot before VAT), a 3-room flat using around 400 to 500 kWh in a mild winter month pays roughly NIS 260 to 325. The same flat in a peak summer month, with the air conditioner running, uses around 800 to 900 kWh and pays roughly NIS 515 to 580. So your power bill close to doubles from winter to summer, a swing of about NIS 255 to 320 a month. Basis: 450 kWh x 0.6432 = about NIS 289; 850 kWh x 0.6432 = about NIS 547; difference about NIS 258. Budget for the summer peak, not the spring bill that lulls you.

Putting it together: a 3-room flat across the four

Add the typical monthly lines and a 3-room flat spends roughly NIS 525 to 1,000 a month on these four utilities, before TV channels or extra streaming. The wide end is a summer with heavy air conditioning; the low end is a mild month with light use. Drop this total into your full housing budget on the all-in cost page, which sums utilities with rent, arnona and the vaad.

Electricity: rename the account, then read the bill

Transfer the account into your name in the first days, or the previous tenant’s bill (and any debt) stays attached to the meter. IEC calls this a change of account holder. Do it online through the IEC portal or by phone on 103 (Sunday to Thursday 08:00 to 19:00, Friday 08:00 to 13:00; there is also a WhatsApp line). Have ready: your lease, your Teudat Zehut or passport, the move-in-day meter photo, and the contract number (mispar chozeh) printed on the previous tenant’s bill, usually top-left. The transfer adds a small one-time fee of about NIS 8.5 to your first bill; there is no security deposit for a standard residential transfer, and activation takes about three business days.

The bill arrives every two months and has three parts: a fixed service charge (about NIS 5.19 per month before VAT), your usage (kilowatt-hours used multiplied by the tariff), and VAT at 18%. The tariff effective 1 January 2026 is 64.32 agorot per kWh including VAT (54.51 agorot before VAT), and the rate now updates automatically every six months on economic indicators, so expect it to move at the next review.

You can also switch the energy supplier and keep IEC’s wires. Since the July 2024 reform, households (renters included) may sign with a competing retail supplier such as Pazgas, Amisragas, Electra Power, Cellcom or Bezeq, while IEC still owns the grid, the meter and outage repair. Advertised discounts run from about 5% to 20%, which is roughly NIS 600 to 1,500 a year on a typical bill. The switch is done online or by phone and can take up to about two months to activate. It is optional, it does not change who fixes a power cut, and you can leave it for later; the account transfer above is the part you cannot skip.

Water: find your corporation, then change the holder

Register with the specific regional corporation that serves your address, because there is no single national provider. Find the name on the previous water bill or by searching your city plus the words tagid mayim. Then submit the corporation’s change-of-consumer form, available online, by email, by post, or in person. You will need: your ID or passport, the rental agreement, the meter number and the move-in-day meter reading, and the previous tenant’s or property details (often a property ID and a payer ID from the old bill).

If you skip this, two bad things happen. The previous holder keeps being billed in their name, and at the end of a tenancy an unpaid water account can revert to the property owner if no new tenant has registered, which turns a small bill into a dispute. The bill comes every two months and has three parts: your personal consumption (this reading minus the last), a share of any common-area water, and sewage where the property is connected. The first 3.5 cubic metres per person each month (the recognized quantity) are charged at the lower tariff, NIS 8.51 per cubic metre including VAT as of 1 January 2026; anything above that jumps to NIS 15.62 per cubic metre, which is why a long shower habit shows up fast on the bill. Many of these corporation websites are Hebrew-only, so allow time or bring help.

Gas: know which kind you have before you cook

First find out whether your flat runs on a central tank or on cylinders, because the two behave completely differently. A central (stored) system is a large tank serving the whole building, piped to each kitchen and refilled automatically by the supplier; you simply inherit the building’s existing supplier and cannot freely shop around. Cylinders (balonim, usually 12 kg or 48 kg) sit outside or on a balcony, and you, the tenant, notice when one runs empty and arrange the refill.

This difference also decides whether you can save money. A Bank of Israel study of the home gas market found that switching is hard for building (stored-tank) customers but easy for cylinder customers, and the price gap between suppliers is wide for stored gas (around 40%) yet small for cylinders (around 7%). In plain terms: if you are on cylinders you can compare prices and switch; if you are on a building tank you are mostly stuck with whoever supplies the building.

To transfer a gas account: take the gas meter reading on move-in day, confirm the previous tenant closed and paid their account, then contact the supplier with your ID and the reading. The main suppliers and their lines are Amisragas (1-700-701-702), Pazgas (1-800-667-788) and SuperGas/Electra. For cooking only, budget NIS 50 to 100 a month; a single 12 kg cylinder costs roughly NIS 150 and lasts two to three months when you only cook, which works out to around NIS 50 to 75 a month (these cylinder figures are indicative, not regulated prices).

On safety, do one thing before you sign and one thing if you ever smell gas. Before signing, ask the landlord to confirm the gas system was inspected by the supplier or a licensed technician and is in order (Israel tightened gas-trade licensing rules in March 2026). If you ever suspect a leak: shut the gas supply, open windows, leave the flat, and call the gas company from outside. Do not flip switches.

Internet: two companies, one connection

Almost everyone ends up with two internet bills, because the wire and the service are sold separately. The infrastructure layer is either Bezeq (fiber, or the older phone-line DSL) or HOT (cable). On top of it sits a service provider (Partner, Cellcom, 012/Netvision, Bezeq International). You can, for example, have Bezeq fiber reaching the building but use Partner as your actual provider. Some carriers now sell a combined fiber package that bundles both, which is simpler to manage.

What is available depends on the address. Fiber gives the fastest speeds (up to 1 Gbps and beyond); cable is older and is not present everywhere, so check both before you commit. Setup needs a technician visit and the line is usually live within two to three days.

Costs come in two pieces. Activation per provider runs roughly NIS 100 to 250. Separately, if the building has never had fiber, Bezeq’s physical fiber bring-in for an apartment is about NIS 900 (often spread over 36 monthly payments and frequently cut in half by a launch discount, or waived entirely when the building is already fibered). Monthly, a fiber plan lands around NIS 100 to 200 once you add the infrastructure fee and the provider fee together; promotional first-year prices can be lower. Contracts typically run 12 to 24 months, so read the post-promo price before you sign. If you want the deeper provider-by-provider walkthrough, this section is the owner page for it.

Closing every account when you move out

Schedule the closings for the last week of the lease, because a forgotten account keeps billing you (or worse, the landlord) after you are gone. The mirror image of moving in: you take final meter readings and either close each account or transfer it to the incoming tenant. Work through all four.

1. Photograph every meter on move-out day (electricity, water, gas) with the date visible. This is your proof of the final reading.
2. Electricity: call IEC on 103 or use the portal to give the final reading and either close the account or move it to the next holder. Settle the final bill.
3. Water: file the change-of-consumer form with your regional corporation showing the final reading. This is the step that, if skipped, can push the unpaid bill onto the property owner.
4. Gas: notify the supplier of your departure and the final reading. If you are on cylinders, arrange to return the cylinder and valve to reclaim any deposit you paid.
5. Internet: cancel with both the provider and, if you are leaving fiber entirely, the infrastructure company. Watch the contract end date so you are not charged an early-exit penalty, and return any router or equipment.

Keep every final-bill receipt. A landlord cannot fairly hold back your deposit for utilities you have already settled, and your closing confirmations are the proof. For the broader move-out routine (cleaning, the walk-through, handing back keys), use the moving in and out checklist.

Your move-in connection sequence, in order

1. On the day you get the keys, photograph all meters (electricity, water, gas) with the date showing.
2. Electricity: transfer the IEC account (online or 103) using the lease, your ID, the meter photo and the contract number from the old bill. Expect a ~NIS 8.5 fee and ~3 days to activate.
3. Water: identify your regional corporation, file the change-of-consumer form with your ID, lease, meter number and reading.
4. Gas: confirm central tank versus cylinders, check the previous tenant’s account is closed and paid, and register with the supplier.
5. Internet: check whether fiber or cable serves the address, order the line (technician visit, ~2 to 3 days), and confirm the post-promo monthly price.
6. File or photograph every confirmation number. You will want them at move-out.

A few terms, each in one line

• IEC: Israel Electric Corporation, owner of the power grid, the meter and outage repair.
• Tagid mayim: the regional water corporation that bills your specific area; there is no national one.
• Mispar chozeh: the contract number on an electricity bill, needed to transfer the account.
• Balon gaz: a refillable gas cylinder (commonly 12 kg) used where there is no central building tank.
• Infrastructure versus provider: the company that owns the internet line (Bezeq, HOT) versus the company that sells you the service over it (Partner, Cellcom, others).

Check these before you flip anything on

• Did you photograph the electricity, water and gas meters on the day you got the keys?
• Do you have the previous tenant’s contract number from the old electricity bill?
• Have you confirmed the previous tenant closed and paid the gas and water accounts, so no debt rolls onto you?
• Do you know whether the flat runs on a central gas tank or on cylinders?
• Is the address served by fiber or cable, and what is the price after the promotional period ends?
• Have you budgeted for the summer electricity peak, not just the mild-month bill?

Questions new tenants ask about utilities

Do I have to transfer the accounts, or can I just pay the existing bills?

Transfer them. If the account stays in the previous tenant’s name, the bill and any meter debt remain attached to that name, and you have no clean record of what you actually used. The electricity and water transfers are quick and cheap or free.

How much will all four utilities cost me a month in a 3-room flat?

Roughly NIS 525 to 1,000, depending mostly on the season: electricity NIS 260 to 580, water about NIS 115, cooking gas NIS 50 to 100, internet NIS 100 to 200. The summer air-conditioning months sit at the top of that range.

Why is my electricity bill so much higher in summer?

Air conditioning. A 3-room flat can roughly double its power use from a mild winter month to a peak summer one, taking the bill from around NIS 290 to around NIS 550 at the 2026 rate.

Is there a deposit to connect electricity or water?

No standard security deposit for a residential electricity transfer (just the ~NIS 8.5 fee), and water transfers are form-based and free. Gas cylinders can carry a refundable deposit that you reclaim when you return the cylinder.

Why do I get two internet bills?

The wire and the service are sold separately. One company owns the line into your building (Bezeq or HOT) and another runs your account over it (Partner, Cellcom, and so on). Some carriers now bundle both into one package.

Can I switch my gas supplier to save money?

If you are on cylinders, yes, and the spread between suppliers is small. If you are on a central building tank, switching is hard and you mostly keep the building’s supplier; the price gap there can be large but it is not yours to change as a single tenant.

Is arnona one of these utility bills?

No. Arnona is the municipal tax, billed by the city, not a utility. It has its own renter rules on the arnona page.

Sources

• Israel Electricity Authority (gov.il) residential tariff effective 1 January 2026: 54.51 agorot/kWh excl. VAT, 64.32 agorot/kWh incl. 18% VAT, fixed charge NIS 5.19/month excl. VAT
• Israel electricity tariff 2026 update (+1.5%, six-month automatic review), reporting via israelnationalnews.com/news/400210
• Israel regulated national water+sewage tariff effective 1 January 2026: recognized quantity (3.5 m3/person/month) NIS 8.51/m3 incl. VAT, additional quantity NIS 15.62/m3 incl. VAT
• Israel National News, 2025 water tariff and family-of-four cost: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/399429
• Bank of Israel study of the residential gas market (switching difficulty and price spread by supply type)
• Nefesh B’Nefesh, electricity reform and renting guidance: https://www.nbn.org.il/life-in-israel/community-and-housing/buying-and-renting/renting-in-israel/
• easyaliyah.com Cost of Living in Israel guide (2026 utility monthly ranges)
• Israel Standards Institution / Ministry of Energy, gas-trade licensing rules effective March 2026

Your next step

Before move-in day, write the five-line connection sequence onto your moving checklist: meters photographed, electricity transferred, water corporation found, gas type confirmed, internet ordered. Do the first three on the day you get the keys, while you are still standing at the meters. Then add the monthly total you built here to your full budget on the all-in cost of renting page, and if you are still choosing between flats, return to the renting in Israel hub to keep comparing.