The average price of electricity for this Friday, May 1, 2026 is €139.87/MWh for consumers with a regulated or indexed tariff contracted in the free market, according to data published by Red Eléctrica. In this way, the May long weekend begins with a drop in electricity of 27.44%, which translates into 37.97 euros less compared to Thursday.
As a reminder, it should be noted that this amount refers to the Voluntary Price for Small Consumers (PVPC), which is different from the one publishes the Iberian Energy Market Operator (OMIE) at noon and shows what the average price costs within the wholesale market.
What is the difference? The PVPC, which affects consumers with a regulated or indexed rate, includes concepts such as access tolls, system charges or electrical system adjustment costs, although it uses the wholesale market price as a base. To understand it easily, it can be said that the wholesale market is the “factory” price of electricity while the PVPC is the “public sale” price, which is regulated by the Government.
What time is electricity cheaper today, Friday, May 1?
The cheapest hour of electricity takes place from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., at a price of 29.13 euros/MWh. For the benefit of consumers, the cheapest slots are available intermittently from the morning until mid-afternoon, so it will be easy to take advantage of them.
When is electricity most expensive?
The maximum price of electricity occurs from 07:00 to 08:00, at which time it reaches 163.08 euros/MWh. Unlike the last few days, the most expensive hours of electricity are at dawn and in the early hours of the morning, so there will be no problem avoiding them.
Price of electricity per hour, Friday, May 1 (PVPC)
To take advantage of the new drop in electricity, it is advisable to optimize consumption by taking advantage of the periods in which it drops the most. This is the price of electricity hour by hour on Friday, May 1, 2026 if you have a regulated or indexed rate in the free market:
- 00:00 to 01:00: 151.99 euros/MWh
- 01:00 to 02:00: 149.00 euros/MWh
- 02:00 to 03:00: 155.54 euros/MWh
- 03:00 to 04:00: 156.37 euros/MWh
- 04:00 to 05:00: 156.63 euros/MWh
- 05:00 to 06:00: 159.06 euros/MWh
- 06:00 to 07:00: 161.79 euros/MWh
- 07:00 to 08:00: 163.08 euros/MWh
- 08:00 to 09:00: 127.12 euros/MWh
- 09:00 to 10:00: 61.33 euros/MWh
- 10:00 to 11:00: 31.44 euros/MWh
- 11:00 to 12:00: 30.43 euros/MWh
- 12:00 to 13:00: 29.84 euros/MWh
- 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.: 29.13 euros/MWh
- 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.: 29.25 euros/MWh
- 15:00 to 16:00: 30.97 euros/MWh
- 16:00 to 17:00: 31.87 euros/MWh
- 17:00 to 18:00: 33.04 euros/MWh
- 18:00 to 19:00: 44.31 euros/MWh
- 19:00 to 20:00: 91.37 euros/MWh
- 20:00 to 21:00: 138.24 euros/MWh
- 21:00 to 22:00: 150.65 euros/MWh
- 22:00 to 23:00: 150.51 euros/MWh
- 23:00 to 24:00: 146.21 euros/MWh
How the Middle East crisis can increase the PVPC rate
Instability in the Middle East, a vital artery for global energy trade, acts as a direct gauge on international gas markets. When military tension or attacks on strategic routes (such as the Red Sea or the Strait of Hormuz) threaten the traffic of LNG tankers, the prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) skyrocket due to fear of shortages or the increase in transportation costs. Spain, dependent on these imports by sea, also suffers this impact: as the fuel necessary for combined cycle plants to produce electricity becomes drastically more expensive, the marginalist system causes the daily market price to rise. wholesaler escalates irremediably.
For Spanish households covered by the Voluntary Price for Small Consumers (PVPC), the echo of the turbulence in the East is not only an international headline, but a direct blow to the pocket. Although the recent reform of this regulated tariff introduced certain anchors to the futures markets to try to smooth out large peaks, the receipt is still strongly indexed to the daily price of electricity. In this way, every time a conflict intensifies tension in the area, the PVPC user absorbs that premium of risk and uncertainty.