How much does it cost to run air conditioning in Spain?
It costs about €0.23 to run the A/C for an hour right now — or about €0.12 if you wait for the cheapest window (16:00–17:00). That's 47% less.
Prices updated August 4, 2026 · 11:24 (Madrid) · official PVPC data from Red Eléctrica (REE).
Run now or wait?
How we calculate this
We take the official PVPC hourly prices for mainland Spain from Red Eléctrica de España (REE), via the public REData API, and multiply them by the unit's electrical power draw (1.2 kW by default, adjustable) for each hour it runs. The PVPC is Spain's regulated tariff and updates every hour, so the figure above is today's real price — not a monthly average. The presets are typical values you can adjust to match your own appliance; we don't invent precision.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the cheapest time to run a air conditioning in Spain today?
Today (August 4, 2026) the cheapest window is 16:00–17:00 Madrid time, when a air conditioning costs about €0.12 per hour on the regulated PVPC tariff — versus about €0.23 right now, about 47% less. The exact window changes every day; the calculator above always shows today's.
How much does it cost to run a air conditioning in Spain?
At today's live PVPC prices, a air conditioning costs roughly €0.23 per hour right now and about €0.12 at the cheapest hour. It moves hour by hour with the wholesale market — adjust the energy use above to match your own air conditioning.
Is electricity cheaper at night or midday in Spain?
Both can be cheap. In winter the overnight valley (roughly 02:00–05:00) is the safe bet; in spring and summer surplus solar can make the 13:00–16:00 window the cheapest of the day. The evening peak (about 19:00–22:00) is almost always the most expensive.
Do these prices apply to my electricity tariff?
They are the regulated PVPC price (Precio Voluntario para el Pequeño Consumidor), which tracks the wholesale market hour by hour and covers homes with contracted power under 10 kW. On a fixed free-market rate your per-kWh price is flat, but the cheapest-hour pattern is still a useful guide to grid demand and to when the wider market is cheapest.