Spot price
The power exchange price for each 15-minute period. Finland is a single price area, so the spot price is the same for every spot price customer in Finland.
Electricity guide 2026
Finnish spot electricity price: how to follow it and time your use
The spot electricity price in Finland changes every 15 minutes, and tomorrow’s prices are known the afternoon before. In this guide we explain how the price is set, what electricity costs you with taxes and grid fees, and how to follow the price and time your use with the Päivän Sähkö app.
Short answer
The spot electricity price is set on the power exchange the day before, and since 1 October 2025 every 15-minute period has its own price. Tomorrow’s prices are usually published shortly before 2 pm Finnish time. On your bill you pay the spot price plus your retailer’s margin, the grid fee and electricity tax, with 25.5% VAT on top of all of them. Päivän Sähkö shows the price live and, if you like, works out your own price with all its parts.
Päivän SähköiOS · Android · Apple Watch · Wear OS
Spot electricity
How is the spot electricity price set?
With a spot price contract, the price of the energy follows the power exchange price. That is why it changes during the day and from one day to the next.
The price is set the day before
Sellers and buyers submit their bids for the next day’s electricity to the Nordic power exchange Nord Pool. Bidding closes at 12:00 Central European Time, and according to Nord Pool prices are typically announced at 12:45 CET or later. That is about 1:45 pm in Finland, so tomorrow’s prices usually appear in apps after 2 pm.
Every 15 minutes has its own price
On 1 October 2025 the day-ahead market moved from hourly to 15-minute periods, so a day normally has 96 prices. The price for an hour is in practice the average of its four quarters. On the exchange the price is quoted in euros per megawatt hour (€/MWh): €100/MWh equals 10 cents per kilowatt hour.
Why does the price vary?
The price is set by supply and demand. When there is plenty of electricity available, for example on a windy night, the price can fall close to zero or even below it. When consumption is high and production low, the price rises. That is why the cheapest and most expensive quarters of the same day can be far apart.
Your price
What does electricity cost you?
The spot price is only part of your bill. The price per kilowatt hour has four parts, with VAT on top of all of them.
Retailer’s margin
Your electricity retailer’s addition to the spot price, in cents per kilowatt hour. The margin and any monthly fee are stated in your contract.
Grid fee
Your local network company’s fee for delivering electricity to your home. With a general tariff the price is the same all day; with a time-of-use tariff, night-time transmission (usually 10 pm to 7 am) has its own price.
Electricity tax and VAT
Since 1 April 2026, the electricity tax for households (tax class I) is 2.325 c/kWh excluding VAT. VAT is 25.5%, and it is also charged on the margin, the grid fee and the electricity tax.
How Päivän Sähkö works out your price
By default the app shows the spot price including VAT. When you add your margin, grid fee and, if you have one, night-time grid fee in the pricing settings and switch on the electricity tax, the app calculates the price as (spot price + margin + grid fee + electricity tax) × VAT. The price you see then matches the price per kilowatt hour on your bill. Fixed monthly fees are not included.
Example: if the spot price is 5.00 c/kWh, the margin 0.50 c/kWh, the grid fee 4.00 c/kWh and the electricity tax 2.325 c/kWh, the total is 11.825 c/kWh. With VAT (× 1.255) a kilowatt hour costs about 14.84 cents. These figures are only an example: check your own from your contract and your network company’s price list.
Getting started
How to start using Päivän Sähkö
Päivän Sähkö works straight after installation. A few settings make the prices match your own bill.
- Download the appPäivän Sähkö is available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store and for Android phones on Google Play. The app is in Finnish, Swedish and English.
- Check the current priceThe big ball on the home screen shows the price for the current quarter including VAT, and the colour of the whole view tells you the price level. Drag your finger across the chart to see the price for any quarter.
- Choose 15 minutes or 1 hourThe chart shows 15-minute prices by default. In the hourly view, each hour is the average of its four quarters.
- Add your margin and grid feeEnter your contract’s margin and your grid fee in cents per kilowatt hour in the pricing settings. If you have a time-of-use tariff, also add the night-time grid fee (10 pm to 7 am). Switch on the electricity tax if you want the price to include it.
- Add a widget to your home screenA widget shows the price without opening the app. You can choose a separate price resolution for widgets: 15 minutes or 1 hour.
Colours and alerts
Colours, alerts and the 7-day forecast
Päivän Sähkö shows the price level in colour, so you can see at a glance whether to use electricity now or later.
Colours show the price level
By default, below 5 c/kWh is green, 5–15 c/kWh orange and above 15 c/kWh red. The background colour changes in five steps, from a negative price to very expensive. The colours follow your final price, so they take your own pricing settings into account. With Premium you can set your own colour thresholds.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow
See yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s prices along with each day’s lowest, average and highest price. The app fetches tomorrow’s prices as soon as they are published, and they usually appear between 2 and 3 pm.
Price alert (Premium)
At 6 pm the alert tells you if tomorrow’s average price is above or below the limit you have set. Notifications are most reliable when the widget is on your home screen or you open the app between 2 and 6 pm.
7-day forecast (Premium)
The forecast estimates prices a week ahead. It is based on the open-source nordpool-predict-fi model and is marked as beta in the app. A chart compares the forecast with actual prices over the last seven days. The forecast is an estimate, not a promise of future prices.
Tips
How to shift your electricity use to cheaper hours
With a spot price contract you save by moving flexible use to cheaper quarters. These tips help you get started.
- Check tomorrow’s prices in the afternoonTomorrow’s prices are usually available after 2 pm. That leaves time to plan the evening’s and next day’s laundry, sauna and charging.
- Schedule flexible appliancesDishwashers, washing machines, tumble dryers, water heaters and electric car charging are the easiest to shift. Use the appliance’s timer so it does not run at the most expensive time.
- Mind the quartersThe price can change within the same hour. For a short task, look at the 15-minute view; for a long one, the hourly view or the day’s average.
- Nights and mornings are often cheapestThe cheapest hours often fall at night and in the morning, but wind and consumption change the picture every day. So always check the day’s prices.
- Remember the grid feeWith a time-of-use tariff, night-time transmission is usually cheaper than daytime. When you add both prices to the app, the prices and colours show the moment that is really cheapest for you.
- Let the app remind youA widget shows the price on your home screen and Apple Watch on your wrist. The Premium price alert tells you in the evening if tomorrow’s average price goes above or below your limit.
More features
Statistics, contracts, widgets and Apple Watch
Besides the price, Päivän Sähkö shows price history, compares electricity contracts and puts the price on your home screen and wrist.
Statistics and history
The month view shows daily average prices from January 2020 onwards, along with the month’s cheapest day, average price and most expensive day.
Electricity contracts
Compare spot price and fixed-price contracts: margin or price per kilowatt hour, monthly fee, contract length and notice period. Advertisements are labelled. Always check the final price on the retailer’s website.
Widgets on iPhone
The home screen widget comes in small, medium and large sizes. On the lock screen you can show price bubbles, the current price or the price compared with the day’s average.
Widgets on Android
Android widgets show the current price, the day’s statistics, price bubbles or a chart of the whole day.
Apple Watch
On the watch you see yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s prices, the current and next price, the day’s cheapest hour and a chart you can scroll with the Digital Crown. Complications show the current price, a price chart or the day’s statistics. Settings come from your iPhone.
Siri
Say “Electricity price in Päivän sähkö” to Siri to hear the current price and the day’s average.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
When are tomorrow’s spot electricity prices published?
Nord Pool usually announces the next day’s prices at about 1:45 pm Finnish time or later. Päivän Sähkö fetches them as soon as they are available, and they usually appear in the app between 2 and 3 pm.
Why does the spot price change every 15 minutes?
On 1 October 2025 the day-ahead market moved from hourly to 15-minute trading periods, so every quarter has its own price. In Päivän Sähkö you can view prices by quarter or by hour. The hourly price is the average of its four quarters.
Does the price in Päivän Sähkö include VAT?
Yes, by default. The app uses 25.5% VAT, and you can switch it off in the settings. The electricity tax, your margin and your grid fee are added when you switch them on in the pricing settings.
How much is the electricity tax in Finland in 2026?
Since 1 April 2026, the electricity tax for households (tax class I) is 2.325 c/kWh excluding VAT, or about 2.92 c/kWh including VAT. Before April 2026 it was 2.253 c/kWh excluding VAT.
Can the spot electricity price be negative?
Yes. When more electricity is available than is being used, for example on a windy night, the spot price can drop below zero. In Päivän Sähkö a negative price has its own background colour. You still pay the margin, grid fee and electricity tax.
Is Päivän Sähkö free?
The core features are free: the current price, yesterday, today and tomorrow, your own price calculation, statistics, contract comparison, widgets and Apple Watch. A Premium subscription adds the 7-day forecast, price alerts and your own colour thresholds.
Where does Päivän Sähkö get its prices?
Päivän Sähkö’s own server fetches prices for the Finnish price area from Nord Pool, the ENTSO-E transparency platform and Elering, and uses whichever source delivers the full day’s prices first.
Which devices does Päivän Sähkö work on?
Päivän Sähkö works on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android phones, with widgets for the home screen. There is also a version for Wear OS watches.
Sources
The app’s features were checked against its source code. The information on the electricity market and taxes was checked against these sources on 6 November 2026.
- Nord Pool: Day-ahead market
- Fingrid: The day-ahead market has moved to a 15-minute trading period (in Finnish)
- Finnish Tax Administration: Electricity tax rates (in Finnish)
- Finnish Tax Administration: VAT guide, general rate 25.5% (in Finnish)
- nordpool-predict-fi: an open-source spot price forecast model (GitHub)
Guides
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