The most expensive August in the wholesale market will be reflected in the electricity bill of the Spaniards, who will pay the second most expensive bill in history.
The average price that will be faced in the regulated rate -the PVPC and which is indexed to the wholesale market- will be between 130 and 158 euros, according to calculations by the OCU and Facua, respectively. It is 70% more than a year ago and “it is the second most expensive in history, surpassed only by last March,” Facua points out. The price range is due to the fact that some calculate the bill with a monthly consumption of 292 KWh and the others of 366.
The figure has served consumer associations to criticize the pricing system, under review in Brussels, or the ineffectiveness of the gas cap to reduce the high figures that are seen. “The marginal auction model is the origin of speculation and the disproportionate prices paid by consumers,” warns Facua, calling for a change in the model.
Without the Iberian exception, the bill would be much higher. In any case, on top of gas, it looks “insufficient”, according to Facua. It has had a “disappointing start”, says the OCU. As reasons, the skyrocketing price of wholesale gas and the adverse weather, which has forced more electricity to be generated using gas. This has caused the system to cost 31% more than the previous month.
In the context of high prices, it is requested that all consumers, except for high incomes, be declared vulnerable consumers on a temporary basis in order to access the social bonus. The OCU also asks that attention be paid to the offers that companies are making to adapt to the gas cap.
One of the surprising factors is that the off-peak period, which theoretically should be the cheapest, has been the most expensive. On average, the price has been 41.40 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), while in the peak period -which should be more expensive- 40.76 cents have been registered. In the case of flat hours, the average cost has been 36.99 cents per kilowatt hour, always according to Facua records.
From Monday to Friday, peak hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the flat hours from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays the off-peak schedule applies 24 hours a day.
