QUICK & PULSE

Dynamic electricity tariffs pass on price fluctuations in the stock market directly to customers. Households that adjust their consumption behavior can save a lot. One customer group benefits particularly.

When wind and solar plants generate a lot of energy, the market electricity price falls. If they do not, it rises. Dynamic electricity tariffs pass on such price fluctuations directly to customers.

The main difference from conventional tariffs is the hourly changing prices per kilowatt-hour consumed. Depending on the development on the stock exchange, the price share for electricity procurement falls or rises, while taxes and duties remain the same.

The price differences between peak and off-peak times are enormous. Already today, negative electricity prices occur for several hours during times with a lot of renewable energy. Those who consume electricity during these times even receive money on top of that.

"Customers with dynamic tariffs can particularly benefit from the energy transition," explains Oliver Hummel, CEO of the eco-energy provider Naturstrom AG. "By aligning their consumption with the price incentives of the electricity exchange, they indirectly adjust their consumption to renewable electricity generation."

Heat pump, wallbox, and storage make the difference

This helps in two ways: it benefits both the customer's wallet and the energy transition as a whole. Dynamic electricity tariffs can become a game-changer for the energy transition.

Dynamic tariffs are particularly attractive for households that can shift large parts of their electricity consumption to off-peak times. This is primarily the case when controllable high-consumption devices are installed: a heat pump, a wallbox, or even a battery storage system.

Since electricity costs are already set the day before, customers can plan the best possible times for their electricity consumption in advance. The most convenient way is to automate this daily energy management with the right software.

Providers like Naturstrom combine their dynamic tariffs with apps that communicate with wallboxes, heat pumps, and storage systems to determine the best driving behavior: For example, the Naturstrom Smart App allows the electric car to be charged with cheap wind power at night or to schedule charging during peak solar times at noon.

Smart Meter is a prerequisite

To be able to conclude a dynamic tariff at all, one needs an intelligent electricity meter, also known as a Smart Meter. Because only such a meter is capable of transmitting the electricity consumption to the grid operator – and thus also the energy supplier – every 15 minutes.

Only a few people in Germany have modern meters yet. However, owners of controllable consumers or households with particularly high electricity consumption receive a smart meter prioritarily.

Additionally, since 2025, customers can demand the modernization of their electricity meter from their grid operator, but they must contribute financially more in this case.

A representative survey conducted in November 2024 on behalf of Naturstrom shows that nearly half of homeowners with controllable consumers are interested in dynamic tariffs. Awareness of the potential for savings seems to be growing.

"An important building block of the energy transition"

"It's a good sign that more and more households are dealing with dynamic electricity tariffs," says Oliver Hummel. "The more widespread they become, the more electricity generation and consumption adapt to each other – this makes the overall electricity system cheaper and more resilient."

Hummel is therefore certain: "Dynamic tariffs will be an important building block of the energy transition in a few years. Anyone who owns a heat pump, wall box, or energy storage should definitely get involved with the topic."

This contribution was not created by the editorial staff. It appeared in cooperation with Naturstrom AG in the category of Advertorials.