The difference between peak (PUNTA – P1), standard (LLANO – P2) and off-peak hours (VALLE – P3) has to do with the hours of the day when there is greater or lesser demand for consumption and the cost of producing the energy during each of those hours. As a general rule, in tariffs with time discrimination, the price per kWh of electricity is higher during peak times (P1), cheaper still in standard hours (P2) and then cheaper again during off-peak hours (P3).
Please click here to see our printable timetables which breakdown the time discrimination periods P1, P2, P3 and for more information about the 2.0TD and 3.0TD tariffs, please see here.
It is worth noting that the variations in the price of electricity that we have been experiencing so far in 2022 mean that, on some occasions, there is not much variation in the price of electricity for the different hours. You can check the day ahead market price of electricity in Spain with OMIE on this link.
The off-peak period (P3) corresponds to 00;00-08:00am Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. It also covers all day on national public holidays in Spain. But with such an abundance of holiday days here in Spain, it’s hard to know which days exactly fall into this off-peak period 🤨
So, which holidays follow the P3 off-peak hours?
National holidays in 2022
The national holidays of 2022 that correspond to a VALLE / Off-Peak (P3) period, in which the overall market price of electricity is cheaper than P1 or P2 depending on your personal curves of consumption, are as follows:
- Saturday January 1 – New Year
- Thursday, January 6 – Epiphany of the Lord
- Monday, August 15 – Assumption of the Virgin
- Wednesday, October 12 – National Holiday of Spain
- Tuesday, November 1 – All Saints
- Tuesday, December 6 – Spanish Constitution Day
- Thursday, December 8 – Immaculate Conception
PLEASE NOTE: Some holidays that do not have a fixed annual date on the calendar – for example Good Friday (this year was April 15th 2022) – so it did not correspond to the VALLE (P3) time period according to the BOE.
Regional and local holidays
Reduced pricing of the P3 window, are not applied to regional and local holidays in Spain, only the above national holidays with fixed dates. So, even if it is a holiday in your autonomous community, it would not correspond to those off-peak / more economical P3 hours all day. But, in the case of January 6, this day is always considered within the off-peak period as it is a fixed annual national holiday.
According to the BOE: “All hours on Saturdays, Sundays, January 6 and national holidays, defined as such in the official calendar of the corresponding year, are considered as hours of the off-peak (P3) period, excluding both holidays replaceable as those that do not have a fixed date.”
