How to read your Spanish electricity bill
Spanish electricity bills can look intimidating. This guide breaks down every term so you know exactly what you are paying for.
How to read your Spanish electricity bill
Spanish electricity bills are full of technical terms, legal references and charges that are hard to decode. This guide breaks down every section so you can understand exactly what you are paying for.
Reading the header
Your bill will show your contracted supplier, your contract number (número de contrato), your CUPS number (Código Unificado de Punto de Suministro) and the billing period.
The breakdown
Término de potencia — This is your fixed daily charge for the capacity you have contracted. It is charged regardless of how much electricity you use. If you have a higher potencia contracted than you need, you could save money by reducing it.
Término de energía — This is the variable part of your bill, calculated by multiplying the electricity you have consumed (in kWh) by the price per kWh of your tariff. If you are on the PVPC regulated tariff, this figure changes every hour.
Alquiler del contador — If you do not own your electricity meter, you pay a monthly rental fee for it. This is usually a small fixed amount.
Impuestos — The two main taxes are the IVA (21%) and the impuesto especial sobre la electricidad (5.11%).
How to pay less
- Switch to a free-market tariff if PVPC is costing you more than fixed-rate alternatives
- Reduce your contracted potencia if your actual usage is well below your contracted maximum
- Shift heavy usage (dishwasher, washing machine) to off-peak hours if you have a time-of-use meter
Maximise your savings
Not sure if you are on the right tariff? Compare electricity providers in Spain and see if you could be paying less.