In partnership with
THE WAYPOINT SUR
To plug in or not to plug in, when is the question.
The wrong clock
A reader wrote on 21 September: "I have been trying to use electricity based on the hourly energy rates that you mention but my bill doesn't correspond with this at all." His contract, he had learned, "has nothing to do with the hourly rates": when the hourly rate was near zero, it charged him "over .20 per kWh".
He was right. The hourly rate is the PVPC, the precio voluntario para el pequeño consumidor — Spain's regulated hourly electricity price; his contract prices by fixed periods of the day. Hour advice for one can be wrong on the other, and only the contract says which you hold.
What he did, and what we had said
On 25 September he added: "We have actually been charging during the day at home since I was using the hourly rate guide, so another expensive mistake." And: "I honestly think that a flat rate is better suited for our household - it's hard to ask an 82-year old to change their lifestyle."
"Expensive mistake" is his phrase; no loss has been measured. Our 3 August issue said to run heavy loads at 12:00-17:00, with no condition on the contract. Our 16 September issue tied the afternoon to the PVPC, then answered a midnight-to-eight electric-car question by hourly price alone, and did not say, at that point, that a period contract pricing its night band cheapest makes those the cheap hours.
Two clocks, measured
Over ten weekdays, 14 to 18 and 21 to 25 September, the PVPC averaged €0.062 per kWh at 14:00-18:00, €0.130 at 10:00-14:00, €0.201 at 00:00-08:00 and €0.331 at 18:00-22:00. Those are plain hourly averages of Red Eléctrica's mainland 2.0TD energy term, the energy share of tolls and charges included, the power term, meter rental and taxes excluded; nobody paid those figures.
A standard three-period contract follows the mainland 2.0TD energy-toll calendar set by the CNMC, Spain's competition regulator. On working weekdays P1 punta — peak is 10:00-14:00 and 18:00-22:00, P3 valle — off-peak 00:00-08:00, P2 llano — shoulder the rest; Saturdays, Sundays, 6 January and official national holidays are P3 throughout, excluding substitutable holidays and those without a fixed date.
It sets no retail price; both three-period offers we inspected use it and price P3 cheapest, so the PVPC's cheap afternoon is their middle band and midnight to eight their cheapest. Both systems can make evening consumption expensive. Weekend 10:00-18:00 PVPC averages were near zero on 19 to 20 and 26 to 27 September.
Read the contract type first (PVPC, a reference retailer's fixed annual price, free market), then the pricing (hourly, flat, period, indexed). Only a comercializadora de referencia — reference retailer sells the PVPC, but they sell other contracts too and a PVPC bill also shows P1, P2 and P3; the legal name is a cross-check, and the supplier's written answer settles it.
If the routine will not move
Loads that can move follow the contract's price table for grid imports. On the PVPC, check that day's hourly prices before moving a load. Solar used at home is not billed; before moving charging overnight, compare daytime self-consumption, export compensation and storage.
Where the routine will not move (someone home all day, cooking, heating, cooling regardless), on working weekdays those daytime grid imports fall in P1 or P2 on the standard calendar, and the decision is the contract's shape, flat or period. Price the bill's own P1, P2 and P3 kilowatt-hours at the period rates against a quoted flat price for the same interval, plus any charge that differs (power term, fees). Nothing in that assumes flat wins.
Exit terms first. A private individual on 2.0TD can cancel any time without penalty, except a fixed-price contract before its first annual renewal, and even there a charge needs a loss the supplier can prove, capped at 5% of the estimated energy still to be supplied (Royal Decree 88/2026, article 28.3). Confirmed September 2026. Whether any charge applies to you is unknown until the contract or a written answer settles it.
A supplier switch completes within 10 working days of signing, exceptionally 15, unless you ask for a later date; treat a same-supplier tariff change as a contract change: prices, start date and any commitment's treatment, in writing.
If the Spanish call is the block, our Waypoint Navigator service will phone your supplier, get in writing whether the contract is fixed-price and until when, any early-termination charge and how it is worked out, and its flat-price offer, then switch you between flat and period if the comparison favors it. Free estimates, with €30-an-hour blocks; though no promise of a saving, an outcome, or a date, but we’ll tell you first if we don’t think we can help you.
Spanish-lite
¿Me puede confirmar si mi contrato es de precio fijo, hasta cuándo, y si tiene penalización por cancelación anticipada? — Can you confirm whether my contract is fixed-price, until when, and whether it carries an early-cancellation charge?
The bottom line
Hour-shifting helps only the loads that can move, on the clock your contract keeps. For the rest of the house the contract's shape is the decision, and the exit terms, in writing, come before any change.
Onwards — A. and the WaypointSur team, tracking the other clock in the contract drawer.
Protect your identity now with Coveron comprehensive coverage
Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in America. Criminals don't wait to steal everything, they test stolen identities with small charges before launching major fraud. By the time you notice, they've opened credit cards, taken out loans, or claimed tax refunds in your name.
Coveron watches your credit 24/7, monitors the dark web, and alerts you immediately when suspicious activity is detected. We watch, we warn, we help recover:
Up to $1M to cover identity theft recovery costs.
Up to $10K for losses from online scams.
Up to $50K to cover eligible costs, including payments made in response to the threats.
And with dedicated case managers to handle the legal and financial mess.
One scam can cost you everything - protect yourself now. The first 100 users get 20% off with code beehiivenewsletter.
30-day money-back guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.
