How to read your Spanish electricity bill: the five numbers that decide what you pay

Every electricity bill in Spain, whichever company sends it, contains the same five pieces of information. Once you know where to look, a bill stops being a mystery and becomes a list of things you can check.

1. The CUPS: your supply's number plate

The CUPS (Código Universal de Punto de Suministro) starts with ES followed by around twenty digits and letters. It identifies the supply point, not you: if you move house, the CUPS stays with the property. You will need it for any paperwork, including an offer to switch supplier.

2. The access tariff: 2.0TD, 3.0TD or 6.1TD

• 2.0TD: the tariff for the vast majority of homes and small premises (up to 15 kW). It has three energy periods (peak, standard and off-peak) and two power periods.
• 3.0TD: small businesses with more than 15 kW, with six periods.
• 6.1TD: businesses connected at high voltage.

This part is set by regulation and is identical whoever you contract with. What changes between suppliers is the price they apply on top of it.

3. The power term: what you pay even with everything switched off

Contracted power is the number of kW you can use at once. You pay for it per day, whether you consume or not. If it is oversized, you pay every month for capacity you never use. It deserves its own article, and it has one.

4. The energy term: the price of each kWh

This is where offers really differ: the price per kilowatt hour in each period. When comparing, look at each period's price and at when you actually use electricity. A very cheap off-peak rate does not help if all your consumption happens at midday.

5. Taxes and extras

At the end of the bill come the electricity tax, VAT (or IGIC in the Canaries), the meter rental and sometimes add-on services you may not remember signing up for. Read this section carefully: it is where surprise charges tend to live.

The two-minute check

Take your latest bill and find these five items. If something does not add up, or you simply want to know whether there is a better deal, upload your bill to our comparison tool: we analyse it for free, and if you are already on a good rate, we will tell you that too.