Spain has entered winter time this Sunday, October 25, when the clocks have been set back one hour. In the Peninsula and Balearic Islands, three in the morning has become two; in the Canary Islands, two has become one. The adjustment was planned in the official calendar published in the BOE.
The change raises a common question among consumers: should the time for putting the washing machine or programming the water heater be adjusted to take advantage of the valley period? The time slots for the domestic access tariff 2.0TD remain referred to the official time: they are not advanced or delayed by one hour for switching to winter time.
What time does the valley period start in winter
For domestic supplies with toll 2.0TD, the valley period remains from 00:00 to 08:00 from Monday to Friday. Saturdays and Sundays are valley throughout the day, as well as holidays that meet the national criteria established for these tolls.
The distribution of consumption in the Peninsula, Balearic Islands, and Canary Islands is as follows, expressed in the official time of each territory:
| Period | Schedule from Monday to Friday* |
|---|---|
| Valley | From 00:00 to 08:00 |
| Flat | From 08:00 to 10:00, from 14:00 to 18:00 and from 22:00 to 24:00 |
| Peak | From 10:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00 |
| Saturdays, Sundays, and applicable holidays* | Valley period for 24 hours |
Saturdays and Sundays are valley all day. In Ceuta and Melilla, the peak slots are from 11:00 to 15:00 and from 19:00 to 23:00; the flat slots are adjusted accordingly and the valley continues from 00:00 to 08:00.
Is the valley hour always the cheapest to do laundry?
The valley period and the hour with the lowest final price are not equivalent concepts. The classification of peak, flat, and valley determines regulated components of the bill, but the cost of consuming electricity also depends on the price of energy and the contract.
In the regulated tariff PVPC, Red Eléctrica publishes hourly prices for the next day. Its calculation incorporates the cost of energy production, tolls, and charges, among other concepts. Therefore, to locate the cheapest hours, one must consult the complete hourly price. ree.es
In the free market, the consumer must check the contracted conditions: they may have a single price per kilowatt hour, differentiated prices by slots, or another modality. The table of periods does not allow, by itself, to know how much their supplier will charge them.
What devices should be checked after the time change
Although the electrical schedules remain, a device that keeps summer time can run a program an hour earlier than expected according to the new clock.
It is advisable to check especially:
- Electric water heaters connected to a timer.
- Programmable plugs and mechanical clocks.
- Heating and thermostats with configured schedules.
- Washing machines and dishwashers that allow setting a start time.
- Electric vehicle chargers with scheduled programming.
For example, if a timer keeps the previous time and was set to turn on a water heater at 00:00, it could activate it at 23:00 of the new official time. On an ordinary working day, that start would occur during the flat period.
The operation depends on the device: a schedule by the clock does not equate to a countdown of several hours. Before modifying it, it is advisable to check what system it uses.
Should the programming be changed if the device updates itself?
If the device has correctly updated its clock, it is not necessary to shift the programming by one hour to maintain the same official operating schedule.
The practical check consists of verifying the time it shows, the configured time zone, and the next scheduled activation. In connected devices, it is also advisable to review the application from which they are controlled.
Beware: an autonomous holiday does not turn the whole day into a valley
That a day is a holiday in an autonomous community or municipality does not automatically mean that its 24 hours are considered valley.
The documentation from the CNMC identifies as applicable holidays for these periods those of national scope with fixed dates that are not replaceable and January 6. It is a relevant distinction ahead of next Monday November 2: the labor rest of certain territories is not enough to consider it a full day of valley period.
How to check if changing the hour consumption allows saving
The first step is to identify on the bill if the supply is in PVPC or in the free market and what price is applied to the energy.
For a consumer under PVPC, the reference is the hourly price published by Red Eléctrica. In a free market contract, the comparison should be made with the agreed amounts and time slots. The savings will depend on the shifted consumption and the price difference between the chosen hours.