If you are in the free electricity market, you will be able to opt for a large number of rates and alternatives. In some cases you will be able to pay a fixed price regardless of the time of day, while in others you will pay based on the stage you are on. On some occasions you can even hire a rate that has certain promoted hours And they will be much cheaper. Is it worth doing this? We talk about it in this article.
How the rates with promoted hours work
First of all let’s talk about what does it consist on exactly the rates with promoted hours. Basically they are rates that do not fall within what would be hourly discrimination, but they do offer cheaper prices at certain times. In some cases it can even be free or really very cheap.
But of course, this has a logical counterpart: the rest of the day is much more expensive than normal. Electric companies are not going to give something away for free. Here we are going to find different plans, such as 8 hours a day at a reduced price, one free day a week, 2 free hours a day…
We can see this with companies like Iberdrola or Endesa and we are going to find different options. Outside of that specific and promoted schedule we can find a higher price.
Are they worth it or not?
So, is it convenient or not to contract rates with promoted hours? This goes to depend on each case. A house for a single person is not the same as another where an entire family lives. Neither does someone who practically does not stop at home than another person who works from her own home.
If, for example, you contract a rate in which you have 2 hours of free electricity a day and you get home practically to sleep, you may be interested in having those 2 hours free to put on a washing machine, dishwasher and all kinds of electrical consumption, since the rest of the day you will be away from home.
However, you must take into account an important factor: more or less a third of the bill is the refrigerator, which is always on, in addition to another 7-10% that is more or less calculated as phantom consumption. Therefore, even if you are not at home, you will be consuming electricity. The normal thing is that this does not compensate you, especially if you do not make a very concentrated use at those promoted hours.
Do you have solar panels? In this case you may be interested in hiring the electric car fee. This is what is called a rate aimed at being able to recharge your vehicle at night, at a much lower price. It is usually from 1 to 7. What can you do? You could take advantage of and charge the batteries in that time and use them at times of the day when it is more expensive to consume electricity.
In short, as you can see, contracting an electricity rate with promoted hours is going to be a good option or not depending on each case. Therefore, in general terms, for a home that has normal consumption, like most families, it will not be the best option. On the other hand, for particular cases of people who spend little time at home, for example, it can be an alternative to take into account to save on the bill.
