The daily pattern
Demand rises in the morning, eases at midday and peaks again in the early evening, when people come home and solar output fades. Where solar capacity is large, midday has become the cheapest time of day from spring to autumn. In winter, and in markets with little solar power, the night is usually cheapest.
Average price by hour of day
Average day-ahead price for each hour of the day (local time) over the last 90 days, and the cheapest and most expensive three-hour window per bidding zone.
Over the last 90 days electricity in Germany & Luxembourg was cheapest between 12:00 and 15:00 (average €53.09/MWh) and most expensive between 19:00 and 22:00 (€213.44/MWh). Weekends were on average €44.09/MWh cheaper than weekdays.
| Bidding zone | Cheapest 3 h | Most expensive 3 h | Difference €/MWh |
|---|---|---|---|
 Hungary | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 181 |
 Spain | 13:00–16:00 | 20:00–23:00 | 180 |
 Portugal | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 176 |
 Poland | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 173 |
 Slovenia | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 163 |
 Germany & Luxembourg | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 160 |
 Netherlands | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 158 |
 France | 13:00–16:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 153 |
 Czechia | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 153 |
 West Denmark (DK1) | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 146 |
| East Denmark (DK2) | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 146 |
 Belgium | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 145 |
 Austria | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 144 |
 Switzerland | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 112 |
 Sweden (Malmö, SE4) | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 104 |
 Great Britain | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 99 |
 Italy (North) | 12:00–15:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 87 |
 Norway (South-West, NO2) | 12:00–15:00 | 19:00–22:00 | 63 |
| Sweden (Stockholm, SE3) | 01:00–04:00 | 18:00–21:00 | 59 |
Official day-ahead prices of the European market coupling: hourly until September 2025, quarter-hourly since October 2025. Figures calculated by us.
Weekends, holidays and seasons
Weekends and public holidays are cheaper because offices and industry use less power. The midday dip is deepest from April to August; in winter the evening peak is higher and the night becomes relatively cheaper.
Network tariffs can move the cheapest time
What you pay also depends on your grid tariff. In Denmark network tariffs are highest from 17:00 to 21:00, Spain's 2.0TD tariff has peak, standard and off-peak periods, and two-rate tariffs in Portugal or Wallonia make the night cheaper. Where we have the official tariffs, our country pages show the final price including these charges.
Luxembourg