What time is electricity cheapest in Spain today?
Electricity in Spain is cheapest today at 09:00 (0.0524 €/kWh) and most expensive at 21:00 (0.2863 €/kWh), with a daily average of 0.1318 €/kWh from official PVPC data by Red Eléctrica (REE).
On a typical day the cheapest hours fall in two off-peak valleys: the early morning (00:00–06:00) and the solar midday window (13:00–16:00). The most expensive band is the evening peak (19:00–22:00). The exact hour changes daily with the OMIE auction; the 24-hour map for today is below.
The price hour by hour today
The day's two off-peak valleys
Spain's PVPC price almost always traces two valleys. The first is the early morning, between 00:00 and 06:00, when demand bottoms out and nuclear and wind cover most of it. The second is the solar midday, usually between 13:00 and 16:00: when photovoltaic farms dump their output onto the grid, the wholesale price collapses. In between, and in the evening, the curve climbs. If you have to pick a single hour to start the washing machine or dishwasher, aim for the lowest point of one of those two windows.
Valle, llano and punta periods (2.0TD tariff)
People often confuse the «cheapest hour» with the valle band. They are not quite the same. The valle, llano and punta bands belong to the 2.0TD access tariff — the regulated tolls and charges — and follow a fixed Monday-to-Friday schedule. The energy price (the part that moves hourly) is set by the market and can be cheap at midday even though that slot is «punta». That is why the 14:00 solar valley can work out cheaper than a morning «llano».
| Period | Monday to Friday | Weekends and holidays |
|---|---|---|
| Valle cheapest | 00:00–08:00 | All day (24 h) |
| Llano mid | 08:00–10:00, 14:00–18:00, 22:00–00:00 | — |
| Punta most expensive | 10:00–14:00, 18:00–22:00 | — |
The practical takeaway: weekends and national holidays are valle all day on the tolls, so Saturday and Sunday are the best days for heavy loads. And if you are on a time-of-use contract, concentrate usage in the early-morning valle, where the cheap toll and — almost always — cheap energy line up.
Is electricity cheaper in winter or summer?
The pattern shifts through the year. In spring and summer, with long sunny days, the midday valley gets very deep: surplus solar can push the wholesale price close to zero between 13:00 and 16:00, sometimes beating the early-morning dip outright. In autumn and winter, with less sun and more heating, the safe bet is again the early hours (02:00–05:00), and the evening peaks are pricier because it gets dark sooner. Windy weeks in the north drag the whole curve down; cold snaps and heatwaves push it up.
How to use the cheapest hour
- Check the hourly price. Look at the 24-hour heatmap: green marks the cheapest hours, red the most expensive.
- Spot the day's valley. There are usually two: the early hours (00:00–06:00) and the solar midday window (13:00–16:00). Pick whichever fits your routine.
- Run high-draw appliances then. Washing machine, dishwasher, dryer, electric water heater or EV charging — schedule them inside the valle window.
- Avoid the evening peak. Between 18:00 and 22:00 on weekdays the price is the day's highest; delay what you can.
- Check it daily. The exact hour changes with the OMIE daily auction; at weekends the whole curve is usually cheaper and flatter.
Frequently asked questions
What time is electricity cheapest in Spain?
There are usually two off-peak valleys: the early hours (00:00–06:00) and the solar midday window (13:00–16:00), when photovoltaic output floods the grid. The exact hour changes every day with the OMIE auction — today's is shown live above.
What are the valle, llano and punta periods?
They are the three time bands of Spain's 2.0TD tariff. Valle (cheapest tolls): 00:00–08:00 Monday to Friday, plus all 24 hours on weekends and national holidays. Llano (mid): 08:00–10:00, 14:00–18:00 and 22:00–00:00 Monday to Friday. Punta (most expensive): 10:00–14:00 and 18:00–22:00 Monday to Friday.
Is electricity the same price in Madrid, Barcelona and Seville?
Yes. On mainland Spain the PVPC price is uniform: the cheapest hour in Madrid is the same, to the cent, as in Seville or Barcelona. Exception: the Canary Islands, Balearics and Ceuta+Melilla run separate systems.
Is electricity cheaper in winter or summer?
It depends on the band. In spring and summer the midday valley gets very deep — surplus solar can push the price close to zero — while in winter the early-morning dip is the safer bet. Weekends are flatter in any season.
Where do these prices come from?
They are official PVPC figures from Red Eléctrica de España (REE), via the public REData API. They refresh hourly; tomorrow's price is published around 20:15 Madrid time.