The fixed term of the electricity bill will become more expensive in 2024 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 6 and 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday

The fixed part of the cost of electricity for homes and small businesses will be slightly more expensive from January 1 in the central hours of the day, between 10 in the morning and two in the afternoon and between six and ten in the afternoon. at night because in that section – in the so-called “peak hour” – the fixed term of the bill will increase, which includes the use of the electrical grid. The National Competition Market Commission (CNMC) has just published the prices of access tolls to the electricity transport and distribution networks for next year, which rise during peak hours but decrease slightly during peak hours. “valley”, the cheapest, and “llana”, intermediate.

Waiting to know this Wednesday the Government's decision on whether to keep the VAT on electricity at a minimum or begin to raise it, the CNMC has updated – upwards or downwards, depending on the case – the other fixed term of the invoice. that of taxes, that of tolls, which has to do with the use of electricity transportation and distribution networks.

As published by the Official State Gazette (BOE) this Monday, the modification that will come into force on January 1, 2024 will mean a slight increase in the fixed cost for using the networks in the central hours of the day, those in which the electricity is on. more expensive because there is greater demand.

More expensive at the most expensive times

For homes, small businesses or businesses, whose consumption does not exceed 15 kilowatts, the review of tolls for 2024 raises them both in terms of energy and in terms of contracted power during peak hours, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from 6 to 10 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The energy term of the transport and distribution toll will be 0.0033 euros/kWh, 0.003 more than in 2023. The contracted power term of the transmission and distribution toll will be 22,401 euros/kWh starting in January, 0.008 more than in 2023.

Faced with this slight increase, the new year will bring a slight drop in tolls in flat and off-peak hours, as well as on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, in which off-peak time – the cheapest – is applied during the 24 hours.

For the flat period – from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to midnight -, the energy term of the transport and distribution toll will be 0.019 euros/kWh, 0.0006 less than this year; the contracted power term, 22.401 euros/kWh, 0.008 less. For off-peak hours -from 00 to 8 hours-, the toll for energy term will be reduced by 0.0004 euros/kWh, to 0.000557 and the contracted power toll will be 0.776 euros/kWh, 0.37 euros in 2024. less than in 2023.

In general terms and taking into account all types of consumers, in 2024 network access tolls will be reduced by an average of 1.1% compared to 2023, the CNMC has indicated in a note, in which it differentiates between low voltage consumers -2.0TD, domestic, and 3.0TD), in which they are maintained, and are reduced for those connected to high voltage.

The review for 2024 follows the guidelines set in 2019, when the three types of time periods were created that for the moment will not be modified despite requests from the renewable sector to modify the most expensive and cheapest hours of electricity, given that In central hours there is now more electricity supply than before to satisfy greater demand, thanks to renewables, particularly photovoltaic energy. The sector proposed that the most economical hours be from 12 to 16 hours, instead of at night, and a few months ago, the CNMC opened up to studying the possibility of making some reform, which does not appear in its resolution on the price of tolls for 2024.

Electrical grid planning

These fixed charges on the bill are intended to contribute to the maintenance of electricity transportation and distribution networks, which have been under increasing pressure in recent years due to the increase in electricity generation – and therefore, evacuation and transportation – that has course the growth of renewable energies, which should be even greater in the coming years, in compliance with the new National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan.

In this sense, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition has just launched a public consultation to plan the development of the electric energy transmission network until 2030.. Until March 24, autonomous communities, companies in the sector and other interested parties can send their forecasts and demands to update the current planning that extends until 2026 and does not take into account the Government's plans to boost electricity generation with renewable energies until 48% on the final use of energy and have 19 gigawatts of self-consumption and 22 of storage and 11 gigawatts of green hydrogen, so that by 2030 renewable energies will contribute 81 of electricity generation compared to 74% of the PNIEC now in force.

“To achieve these objectives of both renewable penetration and strong electrification of demand, a new design and planning of the electrical energy transport network is necessary that allows not only the much-deserved renewable integration but also structures a network capable of supplying a demand that will be especially intense and localized in uses such as the decarbonization of existing industry, the production of green hydrogen or the recharging of electric vehicles,” explains the Ministry at the opening of the public consultation.