How electricity pricing works in Sweden
Sweden is split into four electricity price areas, and which one you live in can matter more than which hour you use power. The north generates far more than it consumes; the south does not.
Four bidding zones
SE1 (Luleå) and SE2 (Sundsvall) in the north have abundant hydropower and consistently low prices. SE3 (Stockholm) covers the population centre. SE4 (Malmö) in the south is chronically the most expensive, because transmission capacity from the north is limited and southern Sweden is exposed to continental European prices. The difference between SE1 and SE4 on a bad day can be a factor of ten. Make sure you are looking at your own area.
Spot contracts
Hourly spot contracts are common in Sweden — considerably more so than in most of Europe. If you have a rörligt avtal indexed to the hourly spot price, everything on this site applies directly to your bill.
Energiskatt and the northern reduction
The energy tax is 36.0 öre per kWh excluding VAT for 2026, or 45.0 öre including it — down from 43.9 öre the previous year. A reduced rate of 26.4 öre applies in a list of northern municipalities across Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland and parts of neighbouring counties. This is regional rather than national, so our default figure uses the standard rate.
Nätavgift varies by operator
Sweden has around 170 network companies, each setting its own tariff. The variable component averages roughly 55 öre per kWh including VAT, but yours may differ considerably. There is no central open dataset we can query, so we use a national typical figure and let you substitute your own rate from your bill.
Practical advice
In SE1 and SE2 the absolute prices are often low enough that hour-by-hour optimisation earns little. In SE4 it can be worth real money, particularly in winter when cold, still evenings drive prices to their annual peaks. Electric car owners in southern Sweden have the strongest case of anyone in our six markets for scheduled charging.
Spot a figure that looks wrong? Tell us. Corrections and the sources behind every tax and grid assumption are listed on the methodology page.