Government and CNMC will increase the fixed term of the electricity bill although Aagesen predicts that the price will decrease for homes, SMEs and industry

One month before the new year arrives, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition predicts that the price of electricity will drop in 2026 for both homes, SMEs and industry. These reductions, which will range from about 5% to almost 10%, will be due particularly to the forecast of price decline in the energy market which is used to produce electricity. If this forecast is fulfilled, will cushion the rises that both the Government such as the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) plan to make the fixed invoice terms of the light, the charges and the tollsadditional to the variable term, which depends on real consumption.

The Ministry expects the price of electricity to drop in 2026 compared to this year “mainly” because the price trend in the energy market is downward, despite the uncertainty that always prevails in this area. If the average of what we have 2025 has been 64.96 euros per MWh, at the end of November it began to see a decrease that is expected to continue next year. Thus, sources from the department of the third vice president, Sara Aagesen, are set at the price of electricity that was recorded on November 28, 56.7 euros/Mwh, lower than the annual average, which is expected to continue next year “thanks to the renewable generation competitive”.

Specifically, the Ministry’s estimates are that the price of electricity will decrease by 4.66% for households, 4.95% for small and medium-sized businesses, 8.55% for industry and even more, 9.91% for the electro-intensive industry, the largest consumer of electricity and which is most sensitive to the increase in the bill.

Tolls and electricity bill charges rise

If these forecasts are met, a lower price of energy and therefore of the electricity consumed by each home, SME or industry, would achieve cushion the rise that with the new year they will experience the fixed terms of the electricity bill. The tolls, set by the CNMC to distribute the cost of having electrical networks, and the costs, where the Ministry for the Ecological Transition passes on additional costs such as the social bonus, tariff deficit or special remuneration for the first renewable plants. In 2026, these two concepts will rise in accordance with the proposals that both organizations have submitted or will submit to public consultation before their approval.

On the one hand, the Ministry will open this Thursday the hearing and public information process for its proposed Ministerial Order to set the electrical system charges for the year 2026which, similar to what happened last year for 2025, contemplates an increase for different types of consumers -households, SMEs or industry- and for the different periods, such as peak hours -from 8 a.m. to midnight- and off-peak hours -from midnight to 8 am and on weekends-.

For example, if you compare the charges that you approved in December 2024 for 2025 and those that you are now preparing to approve for next year, the price of the fixed term household power will go from 4.93 to 5.45 euros per kW/year in peak hours and from 2.46 to 2.72 euros per kW/year in off-peak hours.

The Ministry’s proposal for bill charges also represents a increase in energy term for all types of consumers. In the case of households, it will go from 0.0325 euros per kWh in peak hours and from 0.024 to 0.026 in off-peak hours.

As usual, the Ministerial Order also contemplates the updating of the charges applicable to the electric vehicle charging pointswhich will continue to be zero euros/kW per year for the power term for both low and high voltage points. Where there will also be an increase is in the energy term in both cases. For example, during peak hours it will go from 0.069 euros/kW per year for low-voltage installations and 0.055 for high-voltage installations to 0.076 and 0.061 respectively.

The CNMC also raises tolls for using the network

The other fixed term of the bill, the tolls with which all consumers assume the cost of network investments and maintenance Distribution rates will also rise in 2026. In this case, It is the CNMC that establishes them and this same Tuesday the public consultation that opened in November ended to finalize a proposal that It also represents an increase compared to 2025 both for households, SMEs and industry, both by energy term and by contracted power and both in peak and off-peak hours.

Thus, in the households, the price of the contracted power will increase from 2.9 euros per kW/year to 3.2 euros in peak hours and to go from 0.0032 euros per kW/year to 0.0029 in off-peak hours. Also at this domestic level, the variation in tolls by energy term will be minimal, but upward. From 0.0043 euros per kWh to 0.0045 in peak hours and from 0.0020 to 0.0021 in off-peak hours, a small increase that is also passed on to other types of consumers.