Electricity tariffs in Spain: PVPC, indexed offers and your bill
Information checked:
In this guide
A low price on Spain’s wholesale chart is a useful signal, but not the price your household necessarily pays. Start by identifying your contract: PVPC, a free-market indexed offer, or an agreed price. This guide focuses on households in mainland Spain; do not transfer its time and tax assumptions to the islands, Ceuta or Melilla.
PVPC is not the raw wholesale price
The regulated Precio Voluntario para el Pequeño Consumidor (PVPC) is available to individuals and microenterprises with eligible low-voltage supplies and contracted power no greater than 10 kW. It is sold by a comercializador de referencia, not by every supplier. Eligibility for the bono social requires PVPC and additional conditions. MITECO: PVPC and social support.
Since 2026, forward-market references have a 55% weight in the reformed PVPC energy-purchasing methodology. That is not 55% of the entire bill. The remaining spot exposure, other costs and time-dependent components mean prices still vary. Our day-ahead curve is neither a PVPC price list nor a calculator of the regulated bill. MITECO: the PVPC reform.
With a free-market indexed offer, the contract defines the formula and margin. With an agreed single kWh price, moving a washing cycle to a green bar does not itself reduce the energy charge. Ask what is fixed, what can change and whether the advertised rate includes regulated costs and taxes.
Time bands and cheaper market hours are different
For mainland household 2.0TD supplies, the weekday energy bands are punta 10:00–14:00 and 18:00–22:00; llano 08:00–10:00, 14:00–18:00 and 22:00–24:00; and valle 00:00–08:00. Weekends and qualifying national holidays are valle. Contracted power has two periods, not three. These are regulated access-tariff bands, not a guarantee about the lowest total indexed price. BOE: 2.0TD periods and holiday rules.
A low midday wholesale price can outweigh a higher regulated component—or it may not. Compare the supplier’s full variable rate for the two periods. Check that your meter data and the supplier’s billing interval match the comparison; quarter-hour bars alone do not prove quarter-hour retail billing. Use the chart’s stated timezone and confirm the timer on your appliance.
Supplier examples: check the formula, not just the brand
Checked on 11 September 2026. These are examples, not rankings or a complete market comparison. Request the current offer and conditions for your supply point.
| Supplier or offer | How it differs | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Energía XXI PVPC | A regulated reference supplier, distinct from Endesa’s free-market offers. | Confirm PVPC eligibility and social-support implications. Energía XXI |
| Curenergía PVPC | The Iberdrola group’s reference supplier; PVPC includes forward-market references. | Check the contracting company, not only the group logo. Curenergía |
| Gana Energía Precio de Mercado | A free-market indexed offer with a daily management charge. | Obtain the complete cost formula and fee’s tax basis; distinguish optional assistance from electricity supply. Gana Energía |
| Som Energia 2.0TD indexada | A cooperative indexed offer; its guidance describes hourly prices and additional procurement costs. | Check membership conditions, billing granularity and export compensation separately. Som Energia |
A small fee is not the only markup to investigate: loss adjustments, balancing costs and regulated charges can also sit between OMIE and the retail price. Avoid adding these twice when a supplier already includes them in its quoted kWh rate.
Worked example: a subtotal before taxes
This is an invented indexed-contract example, not PVPC, a supplier quotation or the final amount payable. Assume 200 kWh over 30 days. The wholesale figure is weighted by this household’s consumption, not the arithmetic day average. All rates below are hypothetical and exclude taxes and any separately billed levies.
| Component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale energy | 200 × €0.060/kWh | €12.00 |
| Losses and system costs | 200 × €0.020/kWh | €4.00 |
| Supplier energy margin | 200 × €0.010/kWh | €2.00 |
| Energy access charges | 200 × €0.040/kWh | €8.00 |
| Contracted power | 30 × (3.45 × €0.080 + 3.45 × €0.020) | €10.35 |
| Management subscription | Monthly assumption | €3.00 |
| Meter rental | Monthly assumption | €0.81 |
| Subtotal before taxes | Sum of the listed components | €40.16 |
The two power rates are in €/kW/day, with 3.45 kW contracted in each period. The subtotal works out at 20.08 ct/kWh, even though the wholesale input is only 6 ct/kWh. Fixed charges remain payable when you merely move consumption to another hour. Your actual invoice can include additional items, such as social-bonus financing, before taxes are applied.
Do not apply one permanent tax multiplier to every Spanish bill. The tax authority describes conditional electricity-tax and VAT measures for August and September 2026. Confirm the applicable tax rules and taxable bases for your invoice; this example deliberately stops before taxes. AEAT: the 2026 conditional measures.
What moving consumption can actually save
If your contract passes through an 8 ct/kWh difference and all other variable costs are equal, moving 50 kWh changes the pre-tax energy cost by €4.00. This is arithmetic, not a forecast; it does not remove subscription, power or meter charges. It is not a shortcut for calculating PVPC savings.
A negative wholesale price is not automatically free electricity. In the example’s simplified variable formula, −1 + 2 + 1 + 4 = 6 ct/kWh before taxes, excluding fixed charges. Likewise, a contract that costs €3/month more but saves 1 ct/kWh needs 300 kWh/month just to offset that fee, assuming every other term is equal.
For an EV, compare both timing and required connection power. For electric heating, use realistic winter consumption rather than a cheap summer day. Never shift essential medical equipment or compromise food storage to follow a price chart.
Before changing supplier
Use twelve months of bills and, where available, your interval consumption. The CNMC comparison service is a useful starting point; an indexed estimate is not a guaranteed future annual cost.
- Check the legal supplier name, product, CUPS and both contracted-power values.
- Ask for the full pricing formula, data requirements and treatment of missing meter readings.
- Compare the annual cost after introductory discounts expire, including optional services and any exit conditions.
- If you receive the bono social, check the consequences before leaving PVPC; a free-market discount is not a replacement for that support.
- For solar panels, compare import prices and surplus compensation separately. A high export headline can be offset by a higher import price or subscription.
Ask the new supplier to explain the switching process and effective date. A supplier change and a new connection are different procedures. MITECO: electricity consumer rights.
Use the chart as a planning aid
Use today’s curve for flexible tasks, tomorrow’s verified prices when available, and historical hourly analysis to understand seasonal patterns. Then check the relevant retail rate. There is no universal “cheapest hour” or always-cheapest tariff: your consumption, contract and ability to tolerate price spikes determine which option is useful.
The linked sources and dated product examples let you verify the details before deciding. This guide explains contracts; it does not calculate your personal tax liability or recommend a supplier for your household.