What changed
On 1 October 2025 the single European day-ahead auction switched from hourly to 15-minute products. Each day now has 96 prices – 92 or 100 on the days the clocks change. Switzerland is not part of the coupled European market and still sets hourly prices.
Why quarter-hours
Supply and demand have to match at every moment. Solar output rises and falls steeply in the morning and evening, and demand changes in steps. Quarter-hour products follow these ramps more closely than hourly blocks and bring the day-ahead market in line with the 15-minute settlement already used for balancing across Europe.
How much quarter-hours differ
Average gap between the highest and lowest of the four quarter-hour prices within the same hour over the last 30 days, share of hours with a gap above 20 €/MWh and the largest gap.
Over the last 30 days the four quarter-hours within an hour in Germany & Luxembourg differed on average by €29.14/MWh. In 52% of hours the gap exceeded 20 €/MWh; the largest was €257.34/MWh (22 Sept 2026, 18:00).
Example: the hour from 21:00 on 20 Oct 2026
| Quarter-hour | Price |
|---|---|
| 21:00 | €237.04/MWh |
| 21:15 | €225.40/MWh |
| 21:30 | €216.86/MWh |
| 21:45 | €183.59/MWh |
| Bidding zone | Avg. gap €/MWh | Hours > 20 €/MWh | Largest €/MWh |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hungary | 39.1 | 60% | 253 |
 Austria | 36.7 | 62% | 210 |
 Czechia | 35.5 | 62% | 231 |
 Poland | 34.6 | 57% | 207 |
 Slovenia | 34.4 | 58% | 206 |
 France | 30.6 | 57% | 156 |
 Belgium | 30.1 | 57% | 174 |
 Netherlands | 29.9 | 55% | 241 |
 Italy (North) | 29.3 | 58% | 207 |
 Germany & Luxembourg | 29.1 | 52% | 257 |
 East Denmark (DK2) | 26.0 | 46% | 259 |
 Sweden (Malmö, SE4) | 25.6 | 47% | 185 |
| West Denmark (DK1) | 25.4 | 44% | 265 |
 Spain | 23.6 | 39% | 151 |
 Portugal | 22.9 | 38% | 151 |
| Sweden (Stockholm, SE3) | 18.1 | 33% | 118 |
 Norway (South-West, NO2) | 7.1 | 9% | 69 |
Official day-ahead prices of the European market coupling: hourly until September 2025, quarter-hourly since October 2025. Figures calculated by us.
What it means for you
On a dynamic tariff, check whether your supplier bills per quarter-hour or uses hourly averages – that depends on your contract and on whether your meter records quarter-hour values.
Appliances that run for an hour or more average the quarter-hours out. Short, controllable loads such as car charging or a home battery can target the cheapest quarter-hours. Our price pages show all 96 quarter-hours, and the cheapest windows are calculated in quarter-hours.
Luxembourg
Switzerland
United Kingdom