When is electricity cheapest?
Short answer: usually at night, and almost never between 17:00 and 21:00. That’s when the grid tariff is at its peak, on top of a spot price that is usually high too.
Today
- DK1: cheapest 00:30–02:30 (2.25 DKK/kWh on average), most expensive 17:00–18:00 (6.40 DKK/kWh).
- DK2: cheapest 02:00–04:00 (2.32 DKK/kWh on average), most expensive 17:00–18:00 (6.56 DKK/kWh).
See the live price for your grid company →
Why the time of day matters
You pay the spot price plus your grid company’s tariff, Energinet’s tariffs, electricity tax and VAT. Two of these change during the day:
- The spot price follows supply and demand. It often falls at night and when there is a lot of wind or sun, and rises in the morning and evening.
- The grid tariff follows fixed time bands. At Radius Elnet, the largest grid company, the peak tariff (17–21) is 119.4 øre/kWh including VAT today, against 13.3 øre at night — 9 times as much. How the tariff works.
What moving an appliance saves
In DK2 today, the two hours from 18:00 cost 5.57 DKK/kWh on average, and the cheapest two hours 2.32. For a two-hour programme, that is per run:
- Dishwasher (1.1 kWh): 3.57 kr.
- Washing machine (0.9 kWh): 2.92 kr.
- Tumble dryer (2 kWh): 6.50 kr.
Small per run, but if every day were like today, moving all three out of the evening would save about 4,741 kroner a year.
How to do it
- Use the delay start on your dishwasher or washing machine, so it runs at night or after 21:00.
- Tomorrow’s prices are published around 13:00 — check them then.
- Have an electric car? It matters far more: see how to charge it cheaply.