Which contract should I choose?

15-minute pricing

If you choose a contract with 15-minute pricing you pay the actual cost of electricity on the electricity exchange plus a surcharge. This means the price changes every 15 minutes, and your electricity cost depends on when during the day you use electricity. On September 30, 2025, electricity prices began trading per 15 minutes instead of per hour.

The advantage of a 15-minute pricing contract is that you can reduce your electricity costs by shifting consumption away from the most expensive times of the day. Other benefits include lower retailer markups since the electricity supplier doesn’t need to account for the risk of price spikes. You also often gain access to a more detailed view of your electricity usage via a web service or mobile app.

To make the most of this type of contract, you need to be able to shift your consumption to times when prices are low. This can be done through, for example, automatic control of home heating or electric vehicle charging. More and more electricity supplier today offer technology and services for such smart control.

By adjusting your electricity use according to your 15 minute pricing contract, you also help relieve pressure on the national power system during peak demand, which ultimately contributes to lower costs for electricity trading and distribution across society. The spot price on the electricity exchange is set one day in advance, allowing you to see when electricity will be most expensive and cheapest in time to adjust your consumption. Many electricity supplier who’s offering a 15-minute pricing contracts also provide price information via a web service or mobile app, and you can also find the spot price on the Nord Pool electricity exchange.

Variable price ongoing (monthly basis)

With this contract, your price per kWh will change once a month. The contract follows the developments on the electricity exchange – both upwards and downwards. This will suit you if you can afford a price increase, but also want to benefit from any price decreases.

It is not permitted to offer variable electricity contracts with a tie-in period longer than three months to private individuals. However, if you want to sign an electricity contract for your company, you can compare variable electricity contracts with a one-year tie-in period.

How does a variable electricity price work?

If you choose a variable price, it follows the developments on the Nord Pool electricity exchange – both upwards and downwards. With a variable price, you benefit from market fluctuations and have a lower electricity price when prices are low or falling. But you must also be prepared for prices to rise quickly. In addition to the spot price on the electricity exchange, you pay a surcharge and VAT to the electricity supplier.

How is a variable electricity price calculated?

The bulk of a variable electricity price consists of the spot price. This is determined by the available supply of electricity, how many people want to buy electricity, and how much transmission capacity is available. Sellers and buyers meet on the Nord Pool electricity exchange in an auction where the electricity price is determined for each hour of the next 24 hours.

With the Variable price ongoing (monthly) contract, you pay an average of all hourly prices during the month, which means that you have the same price per kWh during all hours of the month. In addition to the spot price on the electricity exchange, you pay a surcharge and VAT to the electricity supplier. Here at Elpriskollen, we compare the prices that electricity suppliers invoiced their customers during the previous month.

Mixed price 1 year

This type of contract consists of an electricity price that changes once a month and is based half on a fixed price and half on a variable price. The tie-in period is 1 year.

Fixed price contract

With a fixed-price contract, you pay the same price per kilowatt hour throughout the tie-in period. This will suit you if you want to know in advance how much you will pay for your electricity each month. However, the amount on your invoice can still vary from month to month depending on how much electricity you use.

Elpriskollen compares fixed-price contracts with tie-in periods of 6 months and 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years.

You can also compare winter contracts where the price is fixed during certain months in the winter. These contracts have a fixed price staring on 1st of October, 1st of November, 1st of December or 1st of January. After the 31st of March, the price is no longer fixed. It is important that you check what happens to the price after the fixed period has expired.

If you have a fixed-term contract, your electricity supplier is obliged to inform you when the contract ends and what happens when the contract ends. This must take place no earlier than 90 days and no later than 60 days before the end of the contract.

It is important to choose a new contract within the so-called "period of notice" specified in the contract's terms and conditions, otherwise your existing electricity supplier will sign you up to a new electricity contract that may not meet your requirements.

Designated contract

You are assigned a designated contract if you do not actively choose an electricity supply contract. It is your electricity utility that refers you to an electricity supplier that in turn assigns you a designated electricity contract. You can be assigned a designated contract if, for example, you move house or if you do not choose a new contract when your fixed-term electricity contract ends.

A designated contract is often more expensive than if you actively choose to sign an electricity contract yourself. Elpriskollen recommends that everyone should make an active choice and choose their own electricity supplier and type of contract.