Next June 1, 2021 is scheduled an update to the electricity rate system, overdue since November due to the current pandemic situation.

With this update, all rates intended for domestic use are going to be transformed into a single rate, the 2.0 TD, which will have 3 periods of consumption and 2 periods of power.

The 2.0TD what? Yes, the mix of numbers and letters sounds like Chinese. But all you have to know is what new features it has and, most importantly: how the change in electricity rates will affect your bill. So, keep reading.

What changes in electricity rates in 2021

The main change in the electricity rate system is that instead of 6 types of rates (2.0A, 2.1A, 2.0DHA, 2.1DHA, 2.0DHS and 2.1DHS), there will be only one: the 2.0TD rate.

And these are going to be the main changes in electricity rates in 2021:

1. New periods of hourly discrimination in electricity rates

As with flights or hotels, energy is cheaper when there is less demand. And that's what hourly discrimination in electricity rates is all about: what Is electricity cheaper in periods with less demand, and more expensive in periods when more people want to use electricity.

This distinction existed before, but there were some rates that did have time discrimination (DHA and DHS) and other rates that did not (rates A).

With the new 2.0TD rate, There will always be time discrimination and there will always be three access tolls, corresponding to three new periods of consumption:

 
• The peak period: when there is the highest demand for electricity, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., only during working days.

 
• The Flat Period: from 08:00 h to 10:00 h, from 14:00 h to 18:00 h and from 22:00 h to 00:00 h, also during working days.

 
• The valley period: when there is less energy demand, from 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. on weekdays and throughout the day on weekends and national holidays.

These periods have been established according to the average electricity demand in the national territory. The objective of this change is to encourage users to consume during times of the least energy demand, and thus balance consumption throughout the day.

2. New periods of electrical power

Until now, there were different rates depending on the power. If the power was less than 10 kW, the rate was 2.0; and if the power was between 10 and 15 kW, the rate was 2.1.

With the new 2.0TD rate, the difference in rates depending on the contracted power disappears. That is to say, There will no longer be extra costs for being in the higher rank between 10 and 15 kW.

However, for the first time, Will there be two different power periods, also in line with energy demand:

 
• The peak power period, from 08:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, will be the one who will have a more expensive price, since it is the one with the highest energy demand.

 
• The period of power valley, from 00:00 h to 08:00 h on weekdays and throughout the day on weekends and national holidays, will be the one with the lowest price, since it is the one with the lowest energy demand.

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Will I pay more for electricity with the new 2021 electricity rates?

The consequences of changes in the electricity rate on your contract and, therefore, on your bill and the price you pay each month for electricity, depends on the type of contract you have today:

If you have a fixed-price contract without time discrimination

If you always pay for electricity at the same price, surely don't be affected in thisthis change. Electricity companies are expected to maintain all these contracts that apply a fixed price at all hours of the day, so you won't notice any changes in your bill.

If you have a fixed-price contract with time discrimination

If you pay two prices for electricity, depending on the time you use energy: your contract will change dramatically.

With the change from two to three tolls, it will no longer be possible to apply day/night discrimination, so contracts with two prices will be updated at three prices.

If that is your case, don't worry: it is required by law that electric companies inform users who have this type of contract in advance so that they can decide in time and without penalties if they prefer to switch to a single-price contract or company or if they prefer to keep the time discrimination system updated to three periods.

The bad news? If you maintain your previous habits of daytime consumption/nighttime consumption, your bill will be more expensive with the system change (the OCU has estimated that €58 more per year).

If you have a cost-price contract

If your contract is a cost-price contract, either with a regulated or free-market company, your contract will remain the same, but you will be billed differently.

With the change, each period will have a different production cost, so your invoice will be charged in a discriminated manner.

It is expected that, if you maintain your consumption habits, with the new system, the invoices for price-cost contracts are slightly cheaper (the OCU estimates that about €5 per year on average).

How do new power periods affect my electric bill?

If you have a 2.0 contract (with a power of less than 10 kW)

If you have less than 10 kW of contracted power, the new power periods They will reduce directly the fixed part of the invoices.

Until now, you had a specific power hired and always the same. With the new periods, there will be two prices: the peak price (slightly higher than the current one) and the price (much cheaper than the current one, since the cost of production will be much lower). Thus, without doing anything, it is expected that The part of your bills corresponding to power is reduced by 15 to 20%.

In addition to this, you can now have two different powers hired depending on the time of day. Thus, you will have more control over your contract, being able to adapt the power of each period to what you really need it for.

When June 1 arrives and the regulatory change is applied, the power you have contracted will be assigned to both periods, but you can change them and adjust them to your needs.

If you have a 2.1 contract (with power between 10 kW and 15 kW)

If you have between 10 and 15 kW of contracted power, the new rate change it will further reduce the fixed part of your bills. Your contract It will stop having an extra cost for having a higher power.

Can I take advantage of the change in electricity rates to save on my bills?

Let's get to the point: the answer is yes.

Do you want to know how? Ask our experts now to review your bills for free, or follow these tips and take advantage of the change in electricity rates to reduce your electricity consumption.