When Is Electricity Cheapest? Day-Ahead Prices by Hour of the Day, to 2026-10-11 (11 October 2026)
Across 45 European bidding zones, day-ahead electricity was cheapest most often in the hour starting 13:00 local time (26 zones) and dearest most often in the hour starting 19:00 (31 zones), averaged over 5 to 8 days of complete local days, 4 to 11 October 2026. Greece had the widest daily spread, EUR 277.66/MWh between its cheapest hour (13:00, EUR -3.69/MWh) and its dearest (20:00, EUR 273.97/MWh), and 38 of 45 zones had a midday trough.
Day-ahead wholesale prices from ENTSO-E, in EUR/MWh, by local clock hour in each zone's own time zone. The window is short: 5 to 8 days of complete local days, 4 to 11 October 2026. Read the caveats below before drawing a yearly conclusion.
Key Facts
- Across 45 European bidding zones, day-ahead electricity was cheapest most often in the hour starting 13:00 local time (26 zones) and dearest most often in the hour starting 19:00 (31 zones), averaged over 5 to 8 days of complete local days, 4 to 11 October 2026. Greece had the widest daily spread, EUR 277.66/MWh between its cheapest hour (13:00, EUR -3.69/MWh) and its dearest (20:00, EUR 273.97/MWh), and 38 of 45 zones had a midday trough.
- The cheapest hour fell at 13:00 local time in 26 of 45 zones, and the dearest at 19:00 in 31, over 4 to 11 October 2026.
- Greece had the widest daily spread (EUR 277.66/MWh) and Norway North (NO4) the narrowest (EUR 18.21/MWh) of 45 zones.
- 38 of 45 zones had a midday trough: the cheapest hour started between 10:00 and 16:00 and midday averaged at least EUR 10.00/MWh below both the morning and the evening.
- In Norway North (NO4), the zone with the flattest day, the average price ran from EUR 16.12/MWh at 03:00 to EUR 34.33/MWh at 10:00.
Cheapest and Dearest Hour by Bidding Zone
Widest daily spread first, 45 zones, data to 2026-10-11| # | Bidding zone | Cheapest hour | Price at cheapest hour (EUR/MWh) | Dearest hour | Price at dearest hour (EUR/MWh) | Daily spread (EUR/MWh) | Midday trough | Days | Window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | 13:00 | -3.69 | 20:00 | 273.97 | 277.66 | Yes | 6 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-09 |
| 2 | Serbia | 12:00 | 85.98 | 19:00 | 307.82 | 221.85 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 3 | Hungary | 13:00 | 90.65 | 19:00 | 312.15 | 221.49 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 4 | Romania | 14:00 | 102.35 | 20:00 | 315.81 | 213.46 | Yes | 6 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-09 |
| 5 | North Macedonia | 12:00 | 54.78 | 19:00 | 265.10 | 210.32 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 6 | Kosovo | 12:00 | 139.59 | 20:00 | 333.75 | 194.16 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 7 | Slovakia | 13:00 | 84.59 | 18:00 | 275.24 | 190.65 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 8 | Albania | 12:00 | 133.97 | 22:00 | 324.29 | 190.32 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 9 | Croatia | 13:00 | 102.78 | 19:00 | 281.08 | 178.30 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 10 | France | 13:00 | 54.74 | 19:00 | 232.90 | 178.16 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 11 | Germany and Luxembourg | 13:00 | 62.18 | 19:00 | 233.53 | 171.36 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 12 | Spain | 14:00 | 58.80 | 20:00 | 229.56 | 170.76 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 13 | Bulgaria | 14:00 | 100.77 | 20:00 | 271.45 | 170.68 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 14 | Netherlands | 13:00 | 71.88 | 19:00 | 240.29 | 168.42 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 15 | Italy Sicily | 13:00 | 117.43 | 19:00 | 284.27 | 166.85 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 16 | Belgium | 13:00 | 71.68 | 19:00 | 237.44 | 165.75 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 17 | Portugal | 13:00 | 67.04 | 19:00 | 230.88 | 163.84 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-10 |
| 18 | Poland | 13:00 | 60.57 | 19:00 | 223.94 | 163.37 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 19 | Slovenia | 14:00 | 110.19 | 19:00 | 267.92 | 157.73 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 20 | Montenegro | 12:00 | 124.77 | 19:00 | 280.02 | 155.25 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 21 | Czechia | 13:00 | 74.21 | 19:00 | 227.27 | 153.06 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 22 | Denmark West (DK1) | 13:00 | 63.23 | 19:00 | 216.23 | 153.01 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 23 | Denmark East (DK2) | 13:00 | 66.09 | 19:00 | 219.06 | 152.96 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 24 | Italy Sardinia | 13:00 | 114.95 | 19:00 | 267.17 | 152.23 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 25 | Italy Calabria | 13:00 | 117.43 | 19:00 | 268.43 | 151.00 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 26 | Italy South | 13:00 | 117.43 | 19:00 | 268.43 | 151.00 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 27 | Sweden South (SE4) | 13:00 | 49.61 | 19:00 | 182.75 | 133.14 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 28 | Austria | 12:00 | 124.58 | 19:00 | 254.24 | 129.67 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 29 | Italy Centre-South | 13:00 | 149.74 | 19:00 | 268.43 | 118.69 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 30 | Ireland and Northern Ireland (SEM) | 14:00 | 125.80 | 18:00 | 235.73 | 109.93 | Yes | 7 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-10 |
| 31 | Italy Centre-North | 13:00 | 164.85 | 19:00 | 268.43 | 103.58 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 32 | Italy North | 13:00 | 164.85 | 19:00 | 268.43 | 103.58 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 33 | Switzerland | 13:00 | 146.96 | 19:00 | 247.28 | 100.31 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 34 | Latvia | 13:00 | 55.63 | 19:00 | 141.50 | 85.86 | Yes | 5 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-08 |
| 35 | Lithuania | 15:00 | 62.53 | 19:00 | 144.27 | 81.75 | Yes | 5 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-08 |
| 36 | Norway South-West (NO2) | 13:00 | 92.98 | 19:00 | 162.91 | 69.94 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 37 | Sweden South-Central (SE3) | 01:00 | 33.60 | 18:00 | 97.59 | 63.99 | No | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 38 | Norway South-East (NO1) | 13:00 | 90.88 | 19:00 | 150.36 | 59.49 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 39 | Estonia | 05:00 | 29.98 | 19:00 | 87.19 | 57.21 | No | 5 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-08 |
| 40 | Norway West (NO5) | 13:00 | 91.31 | 19:00 | 129.41 | 38.10 | Yes | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 41 | Finland | 03:00 | 14.34 | 18:00 | 44.38 | 30.04 | No | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 42 | Norway Central (NO3) | 03:00 | 59.40 | 10:00 | 87.91 | 28.51 | No | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 43 | Sweden North-Central (SE2) | 02:00 | 16.45 | 09:00 | 41.25 | 24.81 | No | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 44 | Sweden North (SE1) | 02:00 | 13.95 | 09:00 | 38.31 | 24.36 | No | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
| 45 | Norway North (NO4) | 03:00 | 16.12 | 10:00 | 34.33 | 18.21 | No | 8 | 2026-10-04 to 2026-10-11 |
Hours are local clock hours: 13:00 means the hour from 13:00 to 14:00 on the clock in that zone. Prices are the average of every whole local day in the window. The daily spread is the average price in the dearest hour minus the average in the cheapest hour, so it measures the typical shape of a day, not the gap on any single day, which is larger. Greece had the widest spread (EUR 277.66/MWh) and Norway North (NO4) the narrowest (EUR 18.21/MWh). A midday trough is marked Yes when the cheapest hour starts between 10:00 and 16:00 and the 11:00 to 15:00 average is at least EUR 10.00/MWh below both the 06:00 to 10:00 average and the 18:00 to 21:00 average; 38 of 45 zones met that test. Ukraine (IPS) is priced in another currency (UAH) and left out so every figure compares.
Source: ENTSO-E Transparency Platform (transparency.entsoe.eu), CC BY 4.0. Aggregated and converted by World Power Monitor; ENTSO-E does not endorse this site. (ENTSO-E Terms of Use plus CC BY 4.0 for listed data items) Data as of 2026-10-11. Hour profiles are computed by World Power Monitor from ENTSO-E day-ahead market intervals.
The Shape of the Day in the 12 Largest Zones
Same price scale on every chart, local timeDearest 19:00, 233.53
Dearest 19:00, 232.90
Dearest 20:00, 229.56
Dearest 19:00, 223.94
Dearest 19:00, 268.43
Dearest 19:00, 240.29
Dearest 19:00, 237.44
Dearest 18:00, 44.38
Dearest 18:00, 97.59
Dearest 19:00, 247.28
Dearest 19:00, 227.27
Dearest 19:00, 254.24
| Zone | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany and Luxembourg | 154.34 | 144.88 | 140.66 | 139.42 | 140.54 | 145.60 | 172.47 | 196.32 | 199.75 | 169.05 | 135.51 | 98.54 | 76.92 | 62.18 | 72.32 | 98.10 | 134.31 | 184.00 | 219.26 | 233.53 | 205.44 | 183.52 | 172.12 | 151.65 |
| France | 139.40 | 127.72 | 114.10 | 107.24 | 101.01 | 108.58 | 142.34 | 173.76 | 185.14 | 160.68 | 123.11 | 91.07 | 75.61 | 54.74 | 62.65 | 77.59 | 103.88 | 152.57 | 207.82 | 232.90 | 208.60 | 185.22 | 175.71 | 154.84 |
| Spain | 198.66 | 188.97 | 182.57 | 178.98 | 179.13 | 179.26 | 186.09 | 203.36 | 210.98 | 169.16 | 111.02 | 79.83 | 66.62 | 63.93 | 58.80 | 59.18 | 68.44 | 97.65 | 166.65 | 220.50 | 229.56 | 216.01 | 204.91 | 196.16 |
| Poland | 133.55 | 126.15 | 122.05 | 120.23 | 119.17 | 124.91 | 152.53 | 170.43 | 152.04 | 119.61 | 97.50 | 81.39 | 68.63 | 60.57 | 71.39 | 101.78 | 135.49 | 179.84 | 211.40 | 223.94 | 184.74 | 149.17 | 135.66 | 129.28 |
| Italy North | 216.00 | 207.18 | 201.20 | 198.41 | 197.61 | 208.14 | 238.81 | 251.91 | 242.12 | 228.40 | 211.58 | 196.27 | 175.75 | 164.85 | 169.27 | 188.06 | 215.39 | 235.82 | 248.60 | 268.43 | 248.47 | 235.00 | 224.24 | 211.48 |
| Netherlands | 158.06 | 147.05 | 139.58 | 137.24 | 137.91 | 143.18 | 166.51 | 195.98 | 201.62 | 172.78 | 141.84 | 111.25 | 89.50 | 71.88 | 79.06 | 96.91 | 133.61 | 183.95 | 222.39 | 240.29 | 218.61 | 193.19 | 180.71 | 159.06 |
| Belgium | 140.01 | 130.22 | 123.10 | 120.43 | 120.03 | 124.96 | 150.66 | 177.23 | 184.22 | 160.69 | 128.76 | 100.37 | 81.89 | 71.68 | 74.48 | 92.37 | 120.00 | 170.20 | 215.64 | 237.44 | 209.39 | 185.62 | 177.46 | 157.11 |
| Finland | 15.15 | 14.97 | 14.66 | 14.34 | 14.95 | 17.53 | 24.64 | 30.62 | 36.16 | 40.71 | 40.89 | 38.79 | 35.89 | 34.42 | 31.47 | 32.20 | 36.90 | 42.19 | 44.38 | 43.12 | 34.90 | 27.35 | 24.85 | 19.89 |
| Sweden South-Central (SE3) | 37.35 | 33.60 | 33.81 | 35.21 | 40.47 | 45.68 | 53.44 | 63.96 | 69.65 | 63.46 | 56.46 | 47.18 | 43.35 | 40.43 | 40.96 | 49.63 | 68.96 | 93.23 | 97.59 | 92.87 | 81.23 | 67.02 | 51.08 | 44.12 |
| Switzerland | 197.06 | 188.03 | 185.18 | 183.15 | 183.24 | 190.11 | 212.98 | 229.94 | 221.33 | 205.93 | 190.82 | 174.57 | 160.44 | 146.96 | 149.39 | 169.16 | 201.67 | 223.72 | 238.60 | 247.28 | 230.07 | 219.17 | 211.46 | 199.66 |
| Czechia | 125.27 | 120.67 | 120.66 | 119.52 | 116.89 | 119.56 | 148.54 | 160.20 | 174.64 | 155.38 | 129.95 | 102.02 | 85.08 | 74.21 | 84.29 | 103.56 | 131.37 | 170.97 | 209.10 | 227.27 | 196.88 | 169.89 | 161.98 | 134.41 |
| Austria | 190.93 | 183.49 | 181.59 | 180.04 | 181.22 | 189.68 | 220.34 | 239.59 | 223.80 | 196.25 | 161.08 | 147.30 | 124.58 | 125.20 | 127.26 | 153.72 | 202.90 | 228.30 | 250.02 | 254.24 | 237.57 | 215.30 | 203.69 | 191.25 |
The 12 largest zones are ranked by average daily demand over their last 30 days of ENTSO-E load data. The same hour profiles for all 45 zones are in the table above.
Source: ENTSO-E Transparency Platform (transparency.entsoe.eu), CC BY 4.0. Aggregated and converted by World Power Monitor; ENTSO-E does not endorse this site. (ENTSO-E Terms of Use plus CC BY 4.0 for listed data items) Data as of 2026-10-11. Zone size comes from ENTSO-E actual load; prices from ENTSO-E day-ahead market intervals.
Caveats
- These are day-ahead wholesale prices, set by an auction the day before delivery. They are not what a household pays: bills add network charges, taxes and supplier margins, and most household tariffs do not follow the hourly price.
- The window is 5 to 8 days of complete local days, 4 to 11 October 2026. It is the intraday price history in the site's data, so these hour profiles describe one stretch of the calendar and are not a yearly average. Daylight, demand and the generation mix all change through the year, so the profile in another season can look different.
- Each zone uses its own whole local days, shown in the Days and Window columns. A day with any missing interval is skipped, so zones do not all cover exactly the same dates. The newest day in a window can be a delivery day whose prices were published the day before.
- Averages mix weekdays and weekends, which have different demand. A clock change is handled in local time: the repeated hour on a 25 hour day is averaged over both readings.
- Market intervals are 15 or 60 minutes long depending on the zone and are averaged to the hour. Prices are in EUR as published and are not converted.
Cheapest Electricity Hours: Questions and Answers
What time of day is electricity cheapest in Europe?
In the window analysed, 4 to 11 October 2026, the cheapest hour of the day was most often the hour starting 13:00 local time, in 26 of 45 bidding zones. These are day-ahead wholesale prices, so the pattern describes the wholesale market and not a household tariff.
When is electricity most expensive in Europe?
The dearest hour was most often the hour starting 19:00 local time, in 31 of 45 zones, in the same window.
Which zone has the biggest gap between its cheapest and dearest hour?
Greece, at EUR 277.66/MWh between the average of its cheapest hour and the average of its dearest hour. Norway North (NO4) had the smallest, at EUR 18.21/MWh.
What is a midday trough, or duck shape?
Where a lot of solar is installed, output peaks around midday and tends to pull the wholesale price down, then falls away while demand stays high in the evening, which draws a dip shaped like a duck's back. Here a zone counts as having one when its cheapest hour starts between 10:00 and 16:00 and midday (11:00 to 15:00) averages at least EUR 10.00/MWh below both the morning (06:00 to 10:00) and the evening (18:00 to 21:00). 38 of 45 zones met that test.
Is this what I pay for electricity at home?
No. These are day-ahead wholesale prices set the day before delivery. A household bill adds network charges, taxes, supplier margins and, for many customers, a flat or time-of-use tariff that does not follow the hourly wholesale price.
Does the pattern change through the year?
It can. This page covers only 5 to 8 days of complete local days, 4 to 11 October 2026, one stretch of the calendar, so it should not be read as a yearly average. Daylight hours, demand and the fuel mix all change with the seasons, and the hour profiles will change with them.