Electricity companies

RichT wrote on Fri Mar 6, 2026 3:17pm:

If you check your bills, you will find that most of what you are paying is 'potencia', meter rental and then the tax and IVA (VAT) on those.

The 'potencia' is the cost to supply an amount of energy to the property, even if you don't actually use any. On the bill it is shown as 'capacity invoiced' and will be a rate in € x number of days (usually 30) x your potencia in kW. The most common Kw is 5.75, but some properties can be as low...

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... as 3.3, large properties can be 9+. My property has a potencia of 9.2 and my monthly potencia before tax is around €30, so, clearly, a potencia of 5.75 would be around €20 and one of 3.3 would be around €10. These will rarely differ from supplier to supplier, as they are set by the distribution company, not the supplier.

If you turn your electricity completely off when you are not there, then this is all you will pay (you imply that you don't have an alarm or leave a fridge or freezer turned on).

The good news is that electricity charges are forecast to decrease in Spain this year.

Hope this helps!

RichT wrote on Fri Mar 6, 2026 3:17pm:

If you check your bills, you will find that most of what you are paying is 'potencia', meter rental and then the tax and IVA (VAT) on those.

The 'potencia' is the cost to supply an amount of energy to the property, even if you don't actually use any. On the bill it is shown as 'capacity invoiced' and will be a rate in € x number of days (usually 30) x your potencia in kW. The most common Kw is 5.75, but some properties can be as low...

Read more...

... as 3.3, large properties can be 9+. My property has a potencia of 9.2 and my monthly potencia before tax is around €30, so, clearly, a potencia of 5.75 would be around €20 and one of 3.3 would be around €10. These will rarely differ from supplier to supplier, as they are set by the distribution company, not the supplier.

If you turn your electricity completely off when you are not there, then this is all you will pay (you imply that you don't have an alarm or leave a fridge or freezer turned on).

The good news is that electricity charges are forecast to decrease in Spain this year.

Hope this helps!

JosDC wrote on Wed Mar 11, 2026 2:21pm:

>> The potencia is the fixed cost to supply a choosen max amount of energy to the property, even if you don't use any. 

>> "The potencia tariff will rarely differ from supplier to supplier, as they are set by the distribution company, not the supplier."

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There is now also an important concurrential difference in potencia tariffs. If you have low yearly electricity consumption (because limited holiday visits) you can gain most by choosing the supplier with a low potencia tariff !!

RichT wrote on Wed Mar 11, 2026 2:48pm:

You state: "There is now also an important concurrential difference in potencia tariffs. If you have low yearly electricity consumption (because limited holiday visits) you can gain most by choosing the supplier with a low potencia tariff !!" 

This is incorrect.

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The potencia is the maximum amount that you can draw at any one time, it is not cumulative. This is explained below:

If your potencia is 5.75kW, for example, then you may trip your main fuse if you have an oven on (1.5 kW), some air-con on (say 3 kW) and then turn on a kettle (3 kW). Your appliances will try to draw 7.5 kW, but your potencia is only 5.75 kW, so your main fuse or other fuses may trip.

Hope this helps!

JosDC wrote on Wed Mar 11, 2026 3:33pm:

That is not what I meant! Read my post correctly.

For the same potencia, there are different market TARIFFS.

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Today for my 5,75kW:
- Iberdrola online: 0,166€/kW/day
- Octopus Relax: 0,124€ which is 25% less,
or - for my 5,75kW - on yearly basis a difference of 87,50€.