The bill has three layers
Winter support proposal: the state would pay half of the network fee from December to March. Calculate what it would mean for your home
The cost of electricity consists of three layers: on top of the goods (electricity) come the delivery (network) and the state’s share. Even on a seller’s combined bill, the network service still belongs to the network operator. The network contract only controls the middle layer. Every line of the bill is explained one by one in the electricity bill guide.
What is a network contract?
Electricity is produced somewhere far away. To get it to your home, you need lines, substations, meters and people who maintain them. You pay the network operator for this work. Estonia has 33 of them, but in most areas it is Elektrilevi. The contract between you and Elektrilevi is the network contract.
You can change your electricity seller (a fixed-term contract may have a fee for this), but you cannot choose your network operator — it depends on whose network your building is connected to. You can, however, choose which package you pay it by.
Two dials you can turn
Every network package consists of two parts, and they always move in opposite directions: when one goes up, the other goes down.
The monthly fee is paid every month, even if you use no electricity at all. It depends on the main fuse — the number in amperes (16 A, 25 A, 32 A …) written in your network contract. It shows how much current you may draw at once. The bigger the fuse, the higher the monthly fee. Apartments usually have a separate, cheaper apartment fee.
The price per kilowatt-hour only runs when you use electricity. Some packages have one price around the clock. In others, day is more expensive and night is cheaper. One package also has a separate winter peak time, which is the most expensive.
Four packages for households
Prices include VAT. The monthly fee is shown for a 25 A main fuse, because it is common in private houses, and for an apartment.
| Package | Day, €/kWh | Night, €/kWh | Winter peak, €/kWh | Monthly fee 25 A | Apartment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Võrk 1 | 0.0957 | — | — | €8.04 | €3.48 |
| Võrk 2 | 0.0753 | 0.0435 | — | €12.19 | €4.53 |
| Võrk 4 | 0.0458 | 0.0260 | — | €30.95 | €9.76 |
| Võrk 5 | 0.0656 | 0.0376 | 0.1014 | €13.14 | €4.86 |
Võrk 1 — one price, whatever the time
Suits low consumption: a summer house, an apartment with low consumption or a home where timing the consumption is not realistic.
Võrk 2 — day and night
Suits an ordinary family that can shift part of its consumption (washing machine, water heater, car) to the night or the weekend.
Võrk 4 — high monthly fee, cheap kWh
Suits high consumption: electric heating, a heat pump, an electric car, a battery. The monthly fee is high, but a kilowatt-hour is considerably cheaper than in Võrk 2.
Võrk 5 is the most complicated of the four and gets its own chapter.
Võrk 5: a package with a winter peak time
Võrk 5 is a day and night package that also has a third, most expensive price in winter. From November to March the peak time is 9:00–12:00 and 16:00–20:00 on weekdays and 16:00–20:00 on weekends and public holidays. From April to October Võrk 5 works like an ordinary day and night package.
It suits average consumption and a willingness to cut consumption in winter mornings and evenings. The more of your consumption falls into the peak, the less this package pays off — the winter peak price is higher than the single price of Võrk 1. Whether Võrk 5 beats Võrk 2 in your home is shown by the calculator when you enter your annual consumption and night share; only hourly data gives a sure answer.
Two-rate electricity: when is it day and when is it night?
This is the most common question and the most common mistake. The rule is simple: on weekdays the day rate applies only during the daytime; weekends and public holidays are at the night rate all day.
If you start the washing machine at noon on a Saturday, you pay the network the night rate. Many people do not know this and keep all their chores for weekday evenings.
Which package is right for me?
The answer depends on two numbers: how much you use in a year and how much of it you can shift to the night or the weekend. Try the calculator — it uses the same prices as the table above.
Rule of thumb: with low consumption Võrk 1 with its low monthly fee wins, with an ordinary family’s consumption Võrk 2, and with high consumption Võrk 4. Võrk 5 and Võrk 2 are close: Võrk 5 wins when a small part of your consumption falls into the peak time and loses when a large part does. Decide by your actual hourly data, not by the rule of thumb.
What is the most common mistake?
People choose a package once and never look at it again. In the meantime a heat pump or an electric car arrives, or the children move out. Consumption changes, the package stays. And a main fuse that is too big takes money every month without giving anything back. Reducing the fuse cannot be decided by kWh alone, though — you have to consider the simultaneous power of your appliances, the load on the phases and the cost of the change; ask an electrician if needed.
The second mistake is looking only at the electricity seller’s price. The spot price changes every 15 minutes and is exciting to follow. The network fee is boring and rarely changes. But it is exactly the boring part where one right decision keeps working for years.
How to check and switch?
Elektrilevi’s self-service shows your current package, the size of your main fuse and your consumption by the hour. Take the last year’s consumption, see how much of it was at night and at the weekend, and enter the numbers in the calculator. You can switch the package in the same self-service; if less than a year has passed since the previous switch, the switch may have a fee. The applicable terms are in Elektrilevi’s price list (in Estonian).