On a dynamic contract, the price you pay for electricity can change every hour (or every quarter-hour) [1][2]. Shift your usage to the cheap moments and you pay less for the same kWh. How much you save depends on your usage and that day's prices.
1. Check today's prices
Electricity price today shows the market price per hour. The homepage shows the cheapest continuous 3-hour block. These are bare market prices excluding VAT; your supplier adds its markup, energy tax and VAT on top.
2. Look ahead to tomorrow
According to the ACM, tomorrow's prices are available every day at around 16:00 [2]. You'll find them on Electricity price tomorrow, so you can plan the evening before.
3. Shift what you can
Appliances that use a lot of power and can run at a flexible time are the best candidates:
- Charging an electric car: set a start time in the car or on the charger.
- Washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher: use the delayed start.
- Water heater or heat pump: some systems can respond to prices; check with your installer.
The fridge, lighting and cooking stay as they are, and that's fine.
4. Add it to your calendar
This site publishes a calendar file with the cheapest hours for each day: goedkoopste-uren.ics. Subscribe to it in your calendar app.
Keep in mind
- If your supplier bills per quarter-hour, prices can differ within an hour; since 1 October 2025 the market has set 96 quarter-hour prices per day [2][3].
- A cheap hour on the exchange doesn't always mean a low final price: the fixed markups and taxes apply every hour.
For more background, read Dynamic electricity prices in the Netherlands: how do they work?.
Sources
- ACM, ACM en Energie-Nederland maken afspraken over energiecontracten met dynamische prijzen (accessed 17-10-2026): https://www.acm.nl/nl/publicaties/acm-en-energie-nederland-maken-afspraken-over-energiecontracten-met-dynamische-prijzen
- ACM, Energiemonitor ACM: Tarieven licht gedaald, start verwarmingsseizoen goed moment om energiecontract te checken (accessed 17-10-2026): https://www.acm.nl/nl/publicaties/energiemonitor-acm-tarieven-licht-gedaald-start-verwarmingsseizoen-goed-moment-om-energiecontract-te-checken
- EPEX SPOT, 15-minute products live on EPEX SPOT Day-Ahead markets (30 September 2025): https://www.epexspot.com/en/news/15-minute-products-live-epex-spot-day-ahead-markets
This guide was written with the help of AI and checked against sources.