Electricity isn’t all the same – do you know the cheapest time to use it?
Dear readers,
Imagine planning your production budget for the coming quarter — and the electricity price triples within just a few hours. This is not a theoretical scenario, but a real pattern on the European power exchange: dynamic electricity pricing ranging from two cents per kilowatt-hour in the morning to more than 30 cents in the evening are no longer an exception. For companies with significant electricity demand, this has become one of the key calculation factors occupying energy and finance decision-makers today.
Exchange, price, volatility – what’s behind it
In Europe, electricity producers and consumers trade power on exchanges such as EEX in Leipzig and EPEX SPOT in Paris. Every day at midday, the day-ahead market sets prices for each hour of the following day — and since October 2025, even in 15-minute intervals (source: EPEX SPOT). The resulting wholesale electricity price forms the basis for dynamic electricity pricing and is increasingly used for long-term energy procurement.
Three key factors drive fluctuations in dynamic electricity pricing: renewable energy tends to push prices down — when there is abundant wind and solar combined with low demand, prices can even turn negative. In Germany, this happened for around 573 hours in 2025 — a new record (source: FfE / EPEX SPOT).
Conversely, so-called “dark doldrums” in winter require expensive gas-fired power plants to step in, driving prices up. In addition, typical daily load patterns — morning and evening peaks on weekdays, quieter nights, weekends, and public holidays — create predictable windows that companies can actively exploit.
The key issue is this: anyone who does not know when and how much electricity they consume — and how flexible their processes are — cannot manage risks, quantify savings potential, or make use of it. Whether opting for a fixed tariff or dynamic electricity pricing, any decision without a solid data basis remains uncertain. A business with an annual consumption of two million kilowatt-hours can save tens of thousands of euros each year by deliberately shifting load into low-price windows — or incur similarly high additional costs during expensive peak periods.
From 2029 onward, the situation will intensify: the AgNES project
The dynamic electricity pricing on the spot market is already a strategic challenge. However, with the AgNES project (“General Network Tariff System”), the Federal Network Agency is preparing another systemic shift that will further increase complexity from 2029 onward: with the expiration of the Electricity Network Charges Ordinance (StromNEV) at the end of 2028, network charges — previously a largely fixed cost component — are also set to become dynamic. Network charges are the fees for using the physical electricity infrastructure; they account for a significant share of the total electricity price (between 20 and 27 percent).
The planned model rewards flexibility on two levels: companies that operate during off-peak periods will benefit from both lower wholesale electricity prices and reduced network charges. Those that consume electricity rigidly during peak times will face higher costs on both fronts. Industry associations such as BDI, BDEW, and BEE submitted their position papers in the first quarter of 2026; according to the current status of the process, the sector expects a final decision in 2027/2028.
Those who start now to understand and document their load profile lay the groundwork for informed decisions — long before the new rules take effect.
Conclusion: Wholesale electricity prices are becoming increasingly business-critical
The days when electricity could be treated as a predictable fixed cost in the budget are over. Dynamic electricity prices are having an increasingly direct impact on operating costs — and from 2029 onward, AgNES will introduce an additional layer of volatility. Companies that understand and analyze both their load profile and market prices make better procurement decisions and are better prepared for regulatory changes. An energy data management system such as visual energy 5.2 provides the data foundation needed to achieve this.
Exclusive preview: visual energy 5.2 – Gain full control over electricity market prices
This is exactly where the new version of the energy data management software visual energy 5.2 comes in. The update enables the automatic import of up-to-date dynamic electricity prices directly into your own energy management system — without external tools and without manual spreadsheet work.
The setup is incredibly simple: just register quickly and easily, receive your access code, and you can start the workflow in visual energy right away.
visual energy 5.2 displays your individual load profile alongside the current wholesale electricity price in 15-minute intervals and automatically calculates how much your consumption costs at any given time — whether on an hourly or monthly basis. This applies to both variable wholesale prices and fixed electricity tariffs. The comparison is based entirely on your own data. At a glance, you can see whether a dynamic electricity pricing model already pays off — or not. This makes it easy to identify costly operating periods, simulate load shifting, and compare fixed-price scenarios with real market conditions.
In addition, version 5.2 impresses with a range of intelligent new features: a P/Q scatter plot for monitoring reactive power, an expanded SEU module for ISO 50001-compliant audits, and enhanced action planning with runtime or net present value prioritization — all built on a fundamentally modernized, significantly faster system architecture.
This is exactly where the new version of the energy data management software visual energy 5.2 – which will be gradually rolled out soon – comes into play.”
Find out how to maximize the benefits of dynamic electricity pricing
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Visit our detailed information page about visual energy and stay up to date on the new version 5.2.
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Yours, Jonas Klaus
Technical Editor
KBR GmbH