Spot or fixed-price contract: work it out on your own consumption

The calculator compares a spot contract with a fixed price using the last twelve months’ actual exchange prices.

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Over the last twelve published months the average Finnish spot price has been 7.07 c/kWh including VAT. Adding a 0.51 c/kWh margin, a spot contract’s energy for a flat using 2,000 kilowatt-hours a year would have cost €209 with the monthly fee. The same amount at a fixed 8.13 c/kWh would have cost €220. In an electrically heated house using 18,000 kilowatt-hours, weighted towards winter, spot energy would have cost €1,471 and fixed €1,521. The fixed price at which both would have cost the same is 7.58 c/kWh for the flat and 7.85 c/kWh for the heated house, because expensive winter months weigh more. Enter your own annual use, margin and fixed offer, and the calculator gives the difference in euros and month by month.

On your bill or in the network operator’s portal. Flat about 2,000, house 5,000, electric heating 18,000.

When you use it

Default 0.51 c (Energy Authority comparison median).

Default 8.13 c (Statistics Finland household average).

Finds your network operator from the Energy Authority postcode list.

Spot would have been cheaper · Oct 2025 – Sep 2026

€27

difference per year, incl. VAT

Spot: energy + monthly fee, per year€437
Fixed: energy + monthly fee, per year€464
Consumption-weighted spot price incl. VAT7.07 c/kWh
Fixed price that would break even7.58 c/kWh
Transfer, network fee and tax (same in both)€460
Whole electricity bill on spot€897
Assumptions

Spot = FI bidding-zone monthly average over the last 12 published months (Nord Pool), plus 25.5% VAT. Winter-heavy spreads use across months like Statistics Finland’s national consumption. Within a month use is assumed even: shifting it to cheap hours would improve the spot result. Method and sources

Energy cost by month, € incl. VAT (excluding monthly fees)
MonthkWhSpot c/kWhSpot €Fixed €
Oct 20254176.1427.7233.88
Nov 20254176.0227.1933.88
Dec 20254174.5220.9633.88
Jan 202641714.7263.4533.88
Feb 202641717.2173.8533.88
Mar 20264173.4916.6633.88
Apr 20264176.2127.9933.88
May 20264176.6429.8033.88
Jun 20264175.6825.8033.88
Jul 20264171.9310.1633.88
Aug 20264175.1823.7233.88
Sep 20264177.1531.9333.88

Three example homes at last year’s prices

Energy plus retailer fee of €4.78/month, per year, € incl. VAT. Spot = monthly average + 0.51 c/kWh; fixed 8.13 c/kWh. Positive difference = spot cheaper.
HomeSpot contractFixedDifferenceBreak-even price
Flat 2,000 kWh€209€220€117.58 c/kWh
House 5,000 kWh€437€464€277.58 c/kWh
Electric heating 18,000 kWh€1,471€1,521€507.85 c/kWh

The period’s dearest month was 2026-02 and the cheapest 2026-07. The gap between months is large, so a spot bill swings far more from month to month than a fixed one. What decides it overall is the annual total.

How the calculator compares

The calculator takes the Finnish bidding zone’s monthly averages for the last twelve published months and adds VAT and your margin. Consumption is spread over months either evenly or winter-heavy, following Statistics Finland’s consumption statistics. The fixed price is the same every month. Both get the retailer’s monthly fee. Within each month use is assumed even; if you shift use to cheap hours, the spot contract does better still.

What Motiva and the Energy Authority advise

Motiva notes that spot electricity suits people who can follow prices and flex their use, while a fixed price brings predictability. The Energy Authority’s price comparison lists current offers for your postcode. Compare an offer with the calculator’s break-even price: if the fixed offer is below it, it would have been cheap over the past year.

Margin and monthly fee decide between spot contracts

All spot contracts use the same exchange price, so retailers differ only in margin and monthly fee. The margin guide has a calculator showing the annual cost of different margins. Get a month’s bill from the electricity bill calculator.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the break-even price higher for an electrically heated house?

Because electric heating uses most power in winter, when spot prices are usually highest. The consumption-weighted spot price is therefore above the simple annual average. For the winter-heavy profile the calculator uses Statistics Finland’s national monthly electricity consumption to spread the year’s use across months.

Where does the default fixed price come from?

The default 8.13 c/kWh is Statistics Finland’s average household energy price (5,000–15,000 kWh a year) before tax for 2026-06, with VAT added. It is an average across all contract types, not a specific retailer’s offer, so replace it with the price you have been quoted.

Does last year’s comparison tell me what pays next year?

Not for certain. It tells you which would have been cheaper at last year’s actual prices. Next year’s spot prices depend on weather, hydro reserves, nuclear availability and wind output. A fixed contract is insurance against price spikes, and insurance usually costs something.

Does the transfer fee affect the choice?

No. The transfer fee, network basic fee and electricity tax are the same whether your contract is spot or fixed. The calculator shows them separately as part of a whole-bill estimate, but the difference is computed from energy and the retailer’s fee only. Choosing a transfer product is a separate decision.

Is spot worth it if I cannot time my use?

A spot contract can pay even without timing, if the average spot price is low, as the comparison shows. Timing improves the result further. Large winter use with no flexibility, however, exposes you to cold-snap price spikes, when a single month’s bill can be very high.

Related pages and calculators

Spot contract margin

What the spot contract margin is, what it costs a year and how to compare contracts.

Price by month

Monthly average spot prices and the all-in price with your own network’s transfer.

Electricity bill calculator

A month’s electricity bill in parts: energy, transfer, monthly fees and electricity tax.

Cheapest time to use power

When Finnish spot electricity is typically cheapest and how to find the cheapest window.

Spot price tomorrow

Tomorrow’s 96 quarter-hour prices with transfer and tax as soon as they are out.

Sources

Written by

Radif Partners

Updated · Editorial policy · Contact

Prices and taxes 2026, checked