The electricity bill for a household covered by the regulated tariff, the so-called Voluntary Price for the Small Consumer (PVPC), has increased by 7.2% in October compared with the month of September, according to estimates by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU).
In the case of a typical consumer, with a contracted power of 4.6 kilowatts (kW) and a monthly usage of 292 kilowatt hours (kWh), the amount of the bill stands at 92.44 euros, compared with the 86.22 euros paid in September.
If October of last year is taken as a reference, the increase in cost for a customer with a regulated tariff now reaches 28%.
The rise in the cost of electricity is due to the increase in prices in the wholesale market, driven by the sharp surge in gas and by a smaller contribution of photovoltaic and wind generation to the system.
In this context, the average price of the electricity 'pool' in October has risen to 165 euros/MWh, which represents 15.4% more than in the previous month. At the same time, natural gas has gone from 74 to 98 euros/MWh, an increase that affects the fuel used by combined-cycle plants, responsible for producing electricity during much of the hours of the month.
No tax relief on the bill
In addition, OCU warns that this notable increase in the cost of electricity will not be accompanied by a reduction in the tax burden. The safeguard linked to the evolution of the CPI, provided for in the new Royal Decree 18/2026 to allow a reduction in VAT to 10% and in the Electricity Tax to 0.5%, has not been activated as the conditions set out were not met.
Given this scenario, the organization advises consumers to carefully review the terms of their electricity supply contracts. The recommendation applies both to those who have a fixed tariff and, especially, to those who opted for an indexed tariff, either in the free market or in the regulated one (PVPC tariff), as they are the most vulnerable to price volatility.