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Electricity bills in Spain: contract, holder and bono social

Two kinds of contract, three price bands, and a contract that is probably still in someone else's name. Here is how it fits together, and who gets the social discount.

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On this page
  1. Two markets: regulated or free
  2. Punta, llano, valle
  3. Putting the contract in your name
  4. The bono social
  5. If something goes wrong
  6. Sources
  7. Who can do this for you

Two markets: regulated or free

PVPC (precio voluntario para el pequeño consumidor, the regulated price) is a price that moves with the wholesale market. The Ministry says it is a "precio dinámico totalmente indexado al mercado mayorista de electricidad (varía cada hora)". It can only be sold by the comercializadoras de referencia (reference retailers), and only for contracted power of 10 kW or less in every period.

In the free market you and the retailer agree the terms, so you can find fixed prices as well as variable ones. Free-market contracts can carry a minimum-stay clause. The CNMC warns that leaving before a year can mean a penalty if yours has one, so read it before you sign.

Neither is always cheaper. PVPC changes by the hour and by the day, a fixed price does not. Which suits you depends on how much you use and when. The official CNMC comparator is the neutral place to check offers. If you open it from the QR code on a bill, it loads your own consumption.

Punta, llano, valle

For homes the standard toll is 2.0TD. It splits the energy you use into three periods. On weekdays on the mainland, the Balearics and the Canaries (the BOE lists Ceuta and Melilla one hour later):

  • Punta (most expensive): 10:00 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 22:00.
  • Llano (middle): 08:00 to 10:00, 14:00 to 18:00 and 22:00 to 24:00.
  • Valle (cheapest): 00:00 to 08:00.

All hours of Saturdays, Sundays, 6 January and national public holidays are valle. Regional and local holidays do not count.

The power you contract (what the bill calls potencia) uses only two periods: punta (which groups the punta and llano hours above) and valle. A free-market retailer may sell you a flat price anyway, so the bands matter most on PVPC and on time-of-use offers.

Putting the contract in your name

If the lease is yours but the supply is in the landlord's or a former tenant's name, you can ask the retailer to change the holder (cambio de titular) of the existing contract to you. The CNMC says that "con carácter general, las modificaciones de las condiciones del contrato son gratuitas", so ask the retailer in writing about any charge before you agree to it.

You will usually need:

  • Your NIF or NIE (the CNMC says the holder's name and ID are asked for).
  • The CUPS, the code that identifies the supply point. It is printed on the bill, or you can ask the retailer or landlord.
  • A copy of the lease, as proof that you live there.

Ask the current retailer to change the holder. Doing this first, then comparing offers once the contract is yours, avoids a mismatch between the name and the CUPS.

Lease basics, registering on the padrón and who pays what at the start of a tenancy are in Renting in Spain: scams and padrón.

The bono social

The bono social eléctrico is a discount on the PVPC for vulnerable households. The conditions that apply to everyone:

  • The holder is a private individual (persona física).
  • The supply is your main home (vivienda habitual).
  • Contracted power is 10 kW or less.
  • The contract is on PVPC. A free-market contract does not qualify. If you are not on PVPC, you have to accept a PVPC contract with a reference retailer.

On top of that you must meet one of the vulnerability tests. The main one is annual household income of at most 1.5 times the IPREM (14-payment version), with an extra allowance for each further household member. Large-family status (familia numerosa) and some pensions also qualify. Households with severe vulnerability get a bigger discount.

Discounts, as published by the Ministry (MITECO) for 2026: 42.5% for vulnerable consumers and 57.5% for severely vulnerable ones, until 31 December 2026. After that the usual figures are 35% and 50%. The discount covers energy and power up to an annual consumption limit. Do not rely on the percentages after 2026 without rechecking.

Do foreign residents qualify? The official pages set no nationality test. They ask for the holder's NIF or NIE, and an empadronamiento certificate. The pages do not say whether a passport alone is accepted, so ask the reference retailer before you apply if you have no NIE yet. The padrón guide covers the certificate.

If the contract is not in your name yet: the rules for the bono social let you request the holder change at the same time as the bono. Apply through a reference retailer: online, by phone, post or at an office where they have one. The approval lasts two years (large families, until the family title expires). Official pages differ on renewal (the CNMC says it is automatic for most people, Consumo Responde says the documents must be sent again), so ask your retailer before it expires.

If something goes wrong

Wrongly switched supply, billing errors or disputes you cannot settle with the retailer follow the usual complaint route in Free legal and consumer help in Spain. If you are self-employed and work from the flat, how much of the bill you can deduct is in Home office expenses for autónomos, and the contract holder matters there too.

Sources

Who can do this for you

Business services firms and utility-switching advisers can compare offers, handle the holder change and fill in the bono social form for you.

This page is general information, not legal advice. It was checked against the sources above on the date shown. Tariffs, discounts and thresholds are set by decree and have changed often since 2021. Confirm the current figures with your retailer or the CNMC before relying on any of them.

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