Dynamic electricity tariffs: when to game for less

How hourly electricity tariffs work, how much timing your gaming can save, and how to read the live market price map.

With a fixed tariff you pay the same price for every kWh. With a dynamic tariff, the price follows the wholesale day-ahead market and changes every hour, or every quarter-hour. Dynamic tariffs are common in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands, and are now offered in many other markets, including Germany.

How the day-ahead market works

Every day around midday, European power exchanges set prices for each period of the following day. That is why our live map can show tomorrow’s hours in the afternoon. Prices are often lowest around midday on sunny days, when solar output is high, and late at night. They are often highest in the early evening, exactly when many people sit down to play.

How much timing saves

Your bill price on a dynamic tariff is the market price plus network charges, taxes and the supplier’s margin, which stay the same whatever the hour. So moving a 3-hour gaming session from the most expensive to the cheapest hours saves the difference in the market part only. For a PC drawing 400 W at the wall, a difference of 0.20 per kWh across 3 hours saves about 0.24 per session.

Is it worth it?

For gaming alone, savings are modest. The value grows if you also shift other flexible loads, such as charging an electric car, running a heat pump or doing long renders, AI jobs or downloads at cheap hours. Check your contract: if you are on a fixed tariff, the hour you play does not change your bill.