⚡️ Electricity prices 🇩🇪 Essen DE-LU ⚡️
Electricity price in Essen is € 0.1617 /kWh right now.
Wholesale electricity in Essen follows the Germany–Luxembourg day-ahead auction. Today's average is € 0.1029 /kWh, typical of a northern European location at this time of year.
Today's average
€ 0.1029 /kWh
▼ 16% vs yesterday
Right now (22:00)
€ 0.1617 /kWh
Cheapest hour (12:00)
€ -0.0001 /kWh
Most expensive (20:00)
€ 0.2406 /kWh
Tomorrow's day-ahead prices — cheapest hour at 13:00 CEST (€ -0.0014 /kWh), most expensive at 21:00 CEST (€ 0.1718 /kWh).
Price comparison — Essen
| Period | Average | vs today |
|---|---|---|
| Today | € 0.1029 /kWh | — |
| Yesterday | € 0.1223 /kWh | ▲ 19% |
| Last 7 days | € 0.0912 /kWh | ▼ 11% |
| Last 30 days | € 0.0961 /kWh | ▼ 7% |
| Current month | € 0.0982 /kWh | ▼ 5% |
| Previous month | € 0.0785 /kWh | ▼ 24% |
| Same month last year | € 0.0687 /kWh | ▼ 33% |
Monthly cost estimate for an average household using 5 000 kWh/year (~417 kWh/month) at this rate: € 42.87 / month (€ 514.41 / year wholesale, before taxes and grid fees).
Today's hourly prices — Essen
| Hour (CEST) | €/MWh | €/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 02:00 | € 127.98 | € 0.1280 |
| 03:00 | € 126.19 | € 0.1262 |
| 04:00 | € 125.28 | € 0.1253 |
| 05:00 | € 125.49 | € 0.1255 |
| 06:00 | € 131.89 | € 0.1319 |
| 07:00 | € 125.99 | € 0.1260 |
| 08:00 | € 113.57 | € 0.1136 |
| 09:00 | € 71.91 | € 0.0719 |
| 10:00 | € 17.03 | € 0.0170 |
| 11:00 | € 0.29 | € 0.0003 |
| 12:00 ← cheapest | € -0.06 | € -0.0001 |
| 13:00 | € -0.04 | € -0.0000 |
| 14:00 | € 0.00 | € 0.0000 |
| 15:00 | € 9.41 | € 0.0094 |
| 16:00 | € 51.61 | € 0.0516 |
| 17:00 | € 103.41 | € 0.1034 |
| 18:00 | € 136.99 | € 0.1370 |
| 19:00 | € 174.95 | € 0.1749 |
| 20:00 ← peak | € 240.61 | € 0.2406 |
| 21:00 | € 201.41 | € 0.2014 |
| 22:00 | € 161.70 | € 0.1617 |
| 23:00 | € 145.19 | € 0.1452 |
| 00:00 | € 135.52 | € 0.1355 |
| 01:00 | € 128.45 | € 0.1284 |
Tomorrow's day-ahead prices — Essen
Tomorrow's prices have just been published — plan ahead.
| Hour (CEST) | €/MWh | €/kWh |
|---|---|---|
| 02:00 | € 123.77 | € 0.1238 |
| 03:00 | € 121.09 | € 0.1211 |
| 04:00 | € 125.36 | € 0.1254 |
| 05:00 | € 125.05 | € 0.1250 |
| 06:00 | € 118.99 | € 0.1190 |
| 07:00 | € 109.10 | € 0.1091 |
| 08:00 | € 88.87 | € 0.0889 |
| 09:00 | € 36.68 | € 0.0367 |
| 10:00 | € 2.96 | € 0.0030 |
| 11:00 | € -0.01 | € -0.0000 |
| 12:00 | € -0.05 | € -0.0001 |
| 13:00 ← cheapest | € -1.44 | € -0.0014 |
| 14:00 | € -0.75 | € -0.0007 |
| 15:00 | € -0.01 | € -0.0000 |
| 16:00 | € 3.01 | € 0.0030 |
| 17:00 | € 62.50 | € 0.0625 |
| 18:00 | € 107.01 | € 0.1070 |
| 19:00 | € 139.87 | € 0.1399 |
| 20:00 | € 160.52 | € 0.1605 |
| 21:00 ← peak | € 171.85 | € 0.1718 |
| 22:00 | € 159.40 | € 0.1594 |
| 23:00 | € 143.04 | € 0.1430 |
| 00:00 | € 137.36 | € 0.1374 |
| 01:00 | € 131.90 | € 0.1319 |
What things cost today — Essen
Range = cost at today's cheapest hour vs most expensive. Average = today's mean. cheapest-hour scheduling targets the cheap end.
| Activity | kWh | Cheapest hour | Average | Peak hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🚿 Take a 10-min shower | 6 | € -0.00 | € 0.62 | € 1.44 |
| 🛁 Take a bath | 7.5 | € -0.00 | € 0.77 | € 1.80 |
| 💧 Boil 1 L of water | 0.12 | € -0.00 | € 0.01 | € 0.03 |
| 🔌 Charge an EV (full) | 45 | € -0.00 | € 4.63 | € 10.83 |
| 📱 Charge a phone | 0.02 | € -0.00 | € 0.00 | € 0.00 |
| 👕 Run washing machine | 0.8 | € -0.00 | € 0.08 | € 0.19 |
| 🍽️ Run dishwasher | 1.4 | € -0.00 | € 0.14 | € 0.34 |
| 🧹 Vacuum 10 min | 0.33 | € -0.00 | € 0.03 | € 0.08 |
| 💨 Hairdryer 10 min | 0.33 | € -0.00 | € 0.03 | € 0.08 |
| 📺 Watch 1 h of TV | 0.6 | € -0.00 | € 0.06 | € 0.14 |
Last 31 days — Essen
12-month price history — Essen
| Month | Average | €/MWh |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05 | € 0.0978 /kWh | € 97.79 |
| 2026-04 | € 0.0785 /kWh | € 78.52 |
| 2026-03 | € 0.0993 /kWh | € 99.33 |
| 2026-02 | € 0.0966 /kWh | € 96.58 |
| 2026-01 | € 0.1109 /kWh | € 110.94 |
| 2025-12 | € 0.0946 /kWh | € 94.60 |
| 2025-11 | € 0.1028 /kWh | € 102.78 |
| 2025-10 | € 0.0862 /kWh | € 86.19 |
| 2025-09 | € 0.0840 /kWh | € 84.03 |
| 2025-08 | € 0.0778 /kWh | € 77.76 |
| 2025-07 | € 0.0882 /kWh | € 88.25 |
| 2025-06 | € 0.0643 /kWh | € 64.30 |
Why your bill is higher than the spot price
The prices on this page are wholesale day-ahead — what suppliers pay on the Nord Pool / EPEX market. Your final retail bill adds:
| Component | Type | Approx (EU avg) |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale spot price | Variable (this page) | — |
| Electricity tax / excise | Fixed | € 0.005 – 0.20 /kWh |
| Grid / network fee | Fixed + variable | € 0.05 – 0.15 /kWh |
| VAT / sales tax | % multiplier | 20 – 25 % |
| Supplier markup + monthly fee | Provider-specific | € 0.005 – 0.05 /kWh |
Rule of thumb: add 30–60% on top of the wholesale spot price to estimate your true per-kWh cost. The exact split depends on your country, your grid operator, and your contract type.
Smart electricity tips for Essen
- Cheapest hour today: 12:00 CEST at € -0.0001 /kWh — schedule heavy appliances to run within this window.
- Avoid peak: 20:00 CEST hits € 0.2406 /kWh in Essen — postpone the dishwasher or EV charging if you can.
- Dishwasher cost in Essen: running it at the cheapest hour costs about € -0.00; at peak it's € 0.34 — over a year that's significant savings.
- EV charging in Essen: a 50 kWh charge during the cheapest hour costs around € -0.01.
- Typical monthly bill in Essen: a household using 5 000 kWh/year pays about € 43 this month at current wholesale prices (€ 0.0961 /kWh 30-day average).
FAQ — Essen
How is the electricity price determined?
Day-ahead prices are set each morning around 13:00 CEST by Nord Pool / EPEX, where suppliers and producers across Europe submit bids for each hour of the next day. The cheapest mix that meets demand wins, and that price applies to everyone in the bidding zone for that hour.
When is electricity cheapest?
Today the cheapest hour in Essen is 12:00 CEST at € -0.0001 /kWh. Typically late at night (00:00–04:00) and around midday on sunny/windy days when renewables overproduce.
Can electricity prices go negative?
Yes. When wind + solar overproduce on a low-demand day, wholesale prices can drop below zero. This happens 50–100 hours per year in renewables-heavy zones.
Why is my electricity bill higher than the spot price?
The spot price is just one component. Your retail bill also includes electricity tax, grid/network fees, VAT and a supplier markup. Add roughly 30–60 % on top of the wholesale spot price to estimate your true per-kWh cost.
How accurate is this data?
Source: ENTSO-E Transparency Platform — the official EU regulators data feed. Updated every 10–20 minutes.
Can I save money by shifting consumption?
Yes — running large appliances during the cheapest window every day adds up over a year.
Are tomorrow's prices already known?
Day-ahead prices are auctioned around 13:00 CEST each day. Until then, only todays hourly prices are final. Once tomorrows auction closes, the full 24-hour breakdown appears on this page automatically.
Source: ENTSO-E Transparency Platform. Last updated: 2026-05-29 (CEST).