Just arrived in Spain?For Expats (2026)
Electricity & Gas in Spain for Residents (2026)
Jules
Editor
Updated: October 2026 | Found helpful by 8 others
As of October 2026, a resident can switch supplier within 10 business days of signing, the bono social takes 42.5% or 57.5% off a PVPC bill until 31 December 2026, and the lowest supplier-published fixed price is EUR 0.1199 per kWh before tax (TotalEnergies, below 4,000 kWh a year). If you already set up electricity and gas in Spain, this guide covers what changes after your first year: whether your contract with Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy, or Repsol is still competitive, whether the regulated PVPC tariff now beats your fixed price, when it makes sense to switch, and how the bono social discount works for eligible households.
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How Do You Review Your Current Energy Contract?
Pull your last few bills and check the per-kWh energy price and the potencia contratada (contracted power) standing charge separately from the regulated grid and levy components, since only the energy price is truly comparable across suppliers. Run those numbers through the CNMC's official Comparador de Ofertas de Energia against current offers from Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy, and Repsol. A household that has not reviewed its tariff can save around EUR 300-450 a year by switching to a cheaper offer, and roughly one in three households could additionally save around EUR 88 a year just by right-sizing an oversized potencia contratada (source: OCU, July 2026; not re-checked in October 2026).
Should You Switch to PVPC or Stay on a Fixed Contract?
PVPC is set by Red Electrica de Espana in 15-minute blocks since 30 September 2025 (hourly before that) against the wholesale electricity market, which can reward households that shift laundry, charging, or heating to cheaper overnight or midday periods (source: ree.es, as of July 2026). It is only available through a comercializadora de referencia (reference supplier). A fixed free-market contract trades that potential upside for price certainty, useful if your usage is flat throughout the day or you prefer a predictable bill. Falling wholesale prices from growing renewable generation are the main reason PVPC households are estimated to see bills fall around 4.66% in 2026 even as regulated grid charges rise, so it is worth checking the live PVPC price on ESIOS (esios.ree.es) against a fixed offer for your own usage pattern (source: OCU and CNMC-linked reporting, as of July 2026).
Which Tariffs Publish a Price You Can Compare?
Only three household tariffs showed a numeric price on the supplier's own page on 25 October 2026. Compare your bill against them, but remember the power term changes the total too.
- TotalEnergies A tu Aire Luz Siempre: EUR 0.1199 per kWh before tax, 24 hours, for consumption below 4,000 kWh a year; power term not published; price fixed 12 months; minimum term: not stated on the tariff page.
- Holaluz Tarifa Clasica (24 h): EUR 0.154 per kWh before tax, 24 hours (EUR 0.144 online); power term EUR 0.12 per kW per day before tax, peak and valley; price fixed 12 months; minimum term: no minimum term (sin permanencia).
- Octopus Energy Octopus Relax: EUR 0.154 per kWh before tax, same price 24 hours; power term EUR 3.60 per kW per month before tax, peak and valley; price fixed 12 months; minimum term: not stated on the price page.
Check every other offer in the CNMC's Comparador de Ofertas de Energia. More detail on energy providers.
Which Tariff Fits Your Household?
Four situations from our October 2026 research, answered only where a supplier-published price or a rule supports the answer.
| Situation | Best answer | Why | Ruled out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family of four using 5,500 kWh a year | No verified answer | The research's answer relies on a TotalEnergies price above 4,000 kWh a year that its tariff page does not publish, so it cannot be confirmed. Run your own consumption through the CNMC comparator. | Nothing ruled out on verified prices |
| Remote worker at home all day, below 4,000 kWh a year, wants no bill shocks | TotalEnergies A tu Aire Luz Siempre, EUR 0.1199 per kWh before tax, fixed for 12 months | The lowest published fixed energy price for this consumption, the same 24 hours a day. Its power term is not published, so confirm the total in the CNMC comparator. | PVPC and indexed tariffs, whose energy price moves with the wholesale market |
| Renter who wants certified 100% renewable electricity | TotalEnergies A tu Aire Luz Siempre | The research reports it as 100% renewable with guarantees of origin, and its energy price is published. Plenitude is the research's runner-up on certification, but its page publishes no price. | Tariffs that state no guarantee of origin |
| Household affected by the November 2026 IVA safeguard | No action needed: the reduced rate applies automatically on the bill if the CPI test is met | The tax change is set by Real Decreto-ley 25/2026, not by your tariff. | Switching tariff to chase the tax change |
When Should Residents Switch Energy Suppliers?
Common triggers are the end of a fixed-term contract, a competitor consistently undercutting your current per-kWh price, or moving to a new home. Switching itself carries no fee, and the new supplier must complete it within 10 business days of your signature, with the technical switch taking no more than 24 hours (Real Decreto 88/2026, art. 18). The main cost to check is any early-termination penalty on your existing fixed-term contract, reported in July 2026 as capped at 5% of the remaining energy cost for low-voltage household supply (not re-checked in October 2026). See our user-review comparison and price research page before switching.
| Topic | Rule | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| How long a supplier switch takes | You have the right to switch electricity supplier within 10 business days of signing the new contract (5 more only where complex field work is needed). The technical switch itself may take no more than 24 hours. | Real Decreto 88/2026, art. 18 |
| Bono social discount in 2026 | From 1 January to 31 December 2026 the electricity bono social discount is 42.5% for vulnerable consumers and 57.5% for severely vulnerable consumers. | Real Decreto-ley 7/2026, art. 1 |
| IVA on electricity | Electricity carries the general 21% IVA. For November 2026, 10% applies to contracts up to 10 kW (and to severely vulnerable bono social holders) only if electricity prices in the September CPI are more than 15% above a year earlier; December follows the same test on the October CPI. | Real Decreto-ley 25/2026, arts. 18-19 |
How Does the Bono Social Work for Residents?
The bono social is a government-mandated discount applied to the PVPC regulated tariff for vulnerable consumers who meet income or household-composition criteria, applied through your supplier once approved rather than paid separately. For 1 January to 31 December 2026 the discount is 42.5% for a "consumidor vulnerable" and 57.5%for a "consumidor vulnerable severo" (Real Decreto-ley 7/2026, art. 1), and a "vulnerable severo en riesgo de exclusion social" household pays 0% and cannot be disconnected. To qualify, you must be a natural person on PVPC at your primary residence with contracted power of 10 kW or less, and household income at or below 1.5x the 14-payment IPREM (EUR 12,600/year for a single person, plus EUR 2,520 per additional adult and EUR 4,200 per additional minor), with the "vulnerable severo" threshold at 50% of those amounts (source: CNMC, cnmc.es, as of July 2026). To apply, contact a comercializadora de referencia with your DNI/NIE, certificado de empadronamiento, libro de familia or equivalent, proof of income, and any special-circumstance proof; the supplier must resolve the request within 10 business days of receiving it (source: government and CNMC-linked consumer guidance, as of July 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I overpaying for electricity or gas in Spain?
Possibly, if you have not reviewed your contract since signing it, especially if you are still on the same tariff a supplier assigned when you first moved in. Compare your current per-kWh price and standing charge against fresh offers from Iberdrola, Endesa, Naturgy, and Repsol, and against the regulated PVPC tariff, using the CNMC's Comparador de Ofertas de Energia. As of October 2026, three suppliers publish a numeric price on their own pages: TotalEnergies EUR 0.1199, Holaluz EUR 0.154, Octopus Energy EUR 0.154 per kWh, all before tax (TotalEnergies' price applies below 4,000 kWh a year). Comparison sites put the big three's standard fixed tariffs around EUR 0.152-0.157/kWh and Endesa's cheapest fixed offer around EUR 0.104/kWh (comparison-site ranges, July 2026). The figure that matters is what the comparator quotes for your own consumption and contracted power on the day you check.
Should I switch to PVPC or stay on a fixed free-market contract?
It depends on your consumption pattern. PVPC is only available through a comercializadora de referencia (reference supplier), and prices are set by Red Electrica de Espana in 15-minute blocks since 30 September 2025 (hourly before that), which can favor households that shift usage to cheaper periods, while a fixed free-market contract offers price certainty regardless of wholesale swings (source: ree.es, as of July 2026). Falling wholesale electricity prices, driven by growing renewable generation, are the main reason OCU and CNMC-linked reporting estimate PVPC households will see bills fall by roughly 4.66% in 2026 even as regulated grid charges rise, so check the live PVPC price on ESIOS (esios.ree.es) against a fixed offer for your own usage pattern before choosing (source: OCU and CNMC-linked reporting, as of July 2026).
When should residents switch energy suppliers in Spain?
Common triggers are the end of a fixed-term contract, a sustained rise in your supplier's per-kWh price relative to competitors, or moving to a new home where you can choose a supplier fresh rather than inheriting one. Since Spain has no lock-in beyond any fixed-term penalty clause you signed, you can compare and switch at any point, and the switch must happen within 10 business days of signing the new contract (Real Decreto 88/2026, art. 18). Where a penalty clause applies, it was reported in July 2026 as capped at 5% of the remaining energy cost for low-voltage household supply (not re-checked in October 2026).
Where do I complain about a Spanish energy supplier?
Start with the supplier's own complaints channel. If unresolved, Spanish consumers can escalate free of charge to a regional Junta Arbitral de Consumo (Consumer Arbitration Board), a voluntary process whose ruling is binding on both parties once accepted; 80% of electricity and gas complaints arbitrated by these boards in 2024 were decided in the consumer's favour, roughly double the 38-41% success rate at first instance with the supplier directly. The CNMC itself supervises the market and publishes market-wide complaint statistics, but individual consumer disputes are routed to the Juntas Arbitrales de Consumo, not handled by the CNMC directly (source: CNMC, cnmc.es, press release dated 28 April 2026).
Sources
- BOE: Real Decreto 88/2026, art. 18 (supplier switch) (accessed 2026-10-25)
- BOE: Real Decreto-ley 7/2026, art. 1 (bono social 2026) (accessed 2026-10-25)
- BOE: Real Decreto-ley 25/2026, arts. 18-20 (IVA and electricity tax safeguards) (accessed 2026-10-25)
- TotalEnergies: A tu Aire Luz Siempre (accessed 2026-10-25)
- Holaluz: tarifas de luz (accessed 2026-10-25)
- Octopus Energy: precios (accessed 2026-10-25)
- CNMC: comparador de ofertas de energia (accessed 2026-10-25)
Earlier sources (July 2026, not re-checked in October 2026): supplier websites, CNMC. PVPC mechanics and bono social thresholds are sourced from Red Electrica de Espana and the CNMC, switching savings from the OCU, and the penalty cap and the bono social application process from government consumer guidance, all as of July 2026.
Change log
Updated
- Added the 2026 bono social discount and the supplier-switch rule.
- Published
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