The aim of the new tariffs is to move towards greater energy efficiency, encouraging customers to consume power at times when the power grid is less congested.

This change in habits could also mean savings on our energy bills, but we need to know the conditions of the new tariff and adapt our consumption to ensure energy efficiency; if not, the opposite might occur, that is, our electricity bills could go up.

• The new tariff will affect all domestic contracts, small businesses and commercial establishments; that is, all contracts of up to 15 kW of power and low voltage will automatically move onto the new tariff 2.0TD
• It will also affect SMEs.

What are the main changes?

• Half of the amount of the electricity bill corresponds to the power contracted and the level of consumption.
• All consumers, both those on the PVPC regulated price and those on a free market rate, will move onto a time-based tariff both for contracted power and energy consumption.
• This means that the price will vary depending on the time of consumption.
• The difference between peak and off-peak prices will increase, both for contracted power and energy consumption.

The power is divided into two periods (peak and off-peak).

You can sign up to different power levels for each period.

• Peak power is from 8 am to midnight.
• Off-peak power is from midnight to 8 am and all day Saturday and Sunday and public holidays.
• Off-peak power will be much cheaper.

Consumption is divided into three time periods (peak, flat rate and off-peak).

• The peak period is the most expensive, from 10 am to 2 pm and from 6 pm to 10pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays.
• The flat rate period is cheaper and is from 8 am to 10 am and from 2 pm to 6 pm and 10 pm to midnight.
• The off-peak period is the cheapest and is from midnight to 8 am and all day Saturday and Sunday and public holidays.

What do consumers have to do?

• The new tariff will come into effect automatically on 1 June.
• So, there is nothing consumers need to do.
• In any case, the sales company will notify consumers of the change in tariff in advance of the change.

Recommendations for consumers

In order to optimise consumption and make savings on your bill, the OMIC recommends:

1. Checking what type of contract you have.
   1. • For people signed up to the PVPC (voluntary price for small consumers), the sales companies will apply the new reference prices automatically.
      • In the case of consumers with a free market contract, the sales company will have to adapt the contract price to incorporate the difference in regulated costs, with two options:
        • Adapt the contract price to the new power and consumption price brackets
        • Keep the price brackets as they currently are on the contract (fixed price all day, different prices on weekdays and at the weekend, etc.) applying to the price the different costs resulting from the customer’s consumption habits.
        • In the latter case, remember that the company has to notify the customer of any changes to the tariff, giving sufficient notice; this is the time when you should contact your sales company and request information the your contractual relationship.

   This is the directory of electricity sales companies.

2. Check your bills and consumption levels over the past twelve months.
3. Review the tariff and adapt the contracted power to real needs.
4. Try to adjust the power and consumption levels to the new tariff structure.
5. Take into account the various time periods and try to move consumption to off-peak times (the cheapest)
6. Avoid consuming power for multiple uses at the same time, in order to reduce the contracted power.
7. Choose energy efficient electrical appliances wherever possible. Remember that on 1 March this year, a new energy labelling system for electrical appliances came into effect in the European Union, to make this code easier to understand. The new label means that the categories A+, A++ and A+++ are no longer used. Now, the scale ranges from A, which is dark green and indicates that the product is very energy efficient, to G, which is red and indicates low energy efficiency.

And what about SMEs?

• They will move from three to six different pricing periods, both for power and energy consumed.
• All working days will have three price periods: peak, flat rate and off-peak, although the prices will vary from month to month.
• Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are included in the off-peak price period (approximately 53% of hours during the year are off-peak). The number of off-peak hours will increase from 2,920 to 4,680 hours (5,149 hours if we take into account periods 5 and 6).

Further information is available here.

Some tips for SMEs on how to reduce your bills

• Optimise the bill. Try to adjust the power and consumption levels to the new tariff structure.
• Tips on energy efficiency and savings can be found here
• Unplug electrical appliances when they are not in use
• Install LED lighting or low energy bulbs
• Install automatic controls such as sensors or timers for switching off lights in places where they are not being used.
• Make the most of daylight hours to reduce the cost of lighting and heating in winter.
• Install low energy equipment.
• Ideally, set the heating and air conditioning thermostat to 25 ºC in summer and 20 ºC in winter.
• Use zoned air conditioning rather than a centralised system.