ahorr.ai · Blog

kWh: What It Is and How It Translates to Euros on Your Bill

Respuesta rápida

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy representing the consumption of 1,000 watts over one hour. In the Spanish electricity market, this measurement determines the variable portion of your bill, where the price per kWh fluctuates based on your contracted rate and the wholesale market hourly costs.

En 30 segundos

  • Locate the 'Consumption' section in your PDF bill
  • Check the price per kWh for each period (P1, P2, P3)
  • Multiply kWh by the unit price to verify the subtotal manually

Stop guessing, start auditing

Upload your bill and get a forensic breakdown of your kWh costs in 30 seconds. No calls, no spam.

Why you can trust it

  • Free and no signup
  • AI trained on the Spanish market (~30s)
  • Privacy-first: ephemeral processing (we don't store your bills)

Transparencia y fuentes

Authorship, methodology and official sources.

Actualizado: 10 de enero de 2026

Autoría

Equipo ahorr.ai

Auditoría energética (España)

Metodología orientada a decisión: separar coste fijo/variable, detectar extras y comparar opciones con números claros.

Metodología

  • Separamos coste fijo (potencia/término fijo), energía y cargos/impuestos.
  • Buscamos sobrecostes típicos: potencia sobredimensionada, servicios extra, lecturas estimadas.
  • Damos pasos accionables (qué tocar primero) con ejemplos orientativos, no promesas.
  • Enlazamos fuentes oficiales y marcamos lo que puede variar por comercializadora.

Información orientativa (España). Comprueba condiciones con tu comercializadora: precios, peajes, cargos e impuestos pueden variar.

kWh: What it is and how it translates to euros (without the jargon)

To understand your bill, you must first separate power from energy. While power (kW) is the size of the pipe, energy (kWh) is the amount of water that flows through it.

The definition in one sentence

A kilowatt-hour is the amount of energy used by a 1,000-watt appliance running for one hour.

Where it appears on the bill

Look for the 'Facturación por energía consumida' section. This is where your provider multiplies your consumption by the agreed price.

Why it matters (money, decisions, and typical traps)

The kWh price is the most manipulated variable in the energy market. A difference of just 0.02€ per kWh can result in hundreds of euros of difference per year.

The most common error

Many users focus on the total amount without checking the unit price. Providers often hide price hikes behind 'discounts' on the fixed term.

The clue almost nobody looks at

The 'Effective Price'. If you divide your total bill by the kWh consumed, you'll see the real cost of your energy, including all the hidden 'vampire' services.

How to check it in 60 seconds (Auditor's Checklist)

You don't need to be an engineer to find the leaks in your bill. You just need to know where to look.

What to look for in the PDF

Identify the breakdown of periods P1 (Peak), P2 (Flat), and P3 (Valley). If you consume most of your energy in P1 but pay a single price, you are likely overpaying.

What to note down to compare

Keep track of your total kWh per month. If it spikes without a change in habits, your meter or a specific appliance might be failing.

If you want certainty: Autopsy your bill and decide with numbers

Manual checks are good, but a forensic audit is better. We look for the fingerprints of overcharging that are invisible to the naked eye.

What ahorr.ai detects

We identify oversized power contracts, vampire services hidden in the fine print, and compare your current rate against the top 3 cheapest tariffs in Spain.

  • Oversized power detection
  • Hidden service identification
  • Real-time market comparison

What to do with the result

Once you have the data, the choice is yours. You can switch providers in minutes or simply adjust your current contract to stop the leak.

Forensic Checklist: Auditing Your kWh

  • Locate the 'Consumption' section in your PDF bill
  • Check the price per kWh for each period (P1, P2, P3)
  • Multiply kWh by the unit price to verify the subtotal manually
  • Identify if taxes (VAT and Electricity Tax) are applied correctly to the energy sum
  • Compare the total kWh consumed with the previous month's history to find anomalies

kWh to Euro Conversion Glossary

TermDefinitionImpact on Bill
kWh (Kilowatt-hour)Unit of energy consumed over one hourDirectly affects the variable part of your bill
Unit Price (€/kWh)The cost agreed with your provider per unitDetermines how much each appliance costs to run
Contracted Power (kW)The capacity available to use simultaneouslyA fixed daily cost regardless of consumption
Effective PriceTotal cost divided by total kWhThe real price you pay after all fees and taxes

The effective price is the only way to truly compare different tariffs accurately.

The Case of the Growing Fixed Fee

A small business owner in Spain noticed their monthly payments were creeping up despite similar usage. Upon forensic inspection, we found they had 4.6 kW of contracted power but never exceeded 2.8 kW. More importantly, their effective price per kWh was inflated by hidden services that added no value to their operation.

Hallazgos

  • Contracted power 4.6 kW vs 2.8 kW peak usage
  • Hidden service fee of €6.99/month found in the small print
  • Effective price of €0.23/kWh including taxes vs market average

Stop guessing, start auditing

Upload your bill and get a forensic breakdown of your kWh costs in 30 seconds. No calls, no spam.

Related guides

Preguntas frecuentes

It represents the volume of electricity you have used. For example, if you leave a 100W bulb on for 10 hours, you have consumed exactly 1 kWh.
Staying on a fixed-rate plan when your consumption happens during cheaper off-peak hours, or paying for 'maintenance' services you don't use.
Adjust your contracted power (kW) to match your actual peaks and shift heavy appliance use to cheaper time slots if you have time-of-use pricing.
Our engine extracts the raw data from your PDF, strips away the marketing, and calculates your effective cost per kWh to compare it against the entire Spanish market.
One bill is enough for a snapshot, but uploading several allows us to see seasonal patterns and provide a more accurate 'Price Guardian' alert.

Don't have a bill handy?

Create your profile and we will help you understand what to look for when your next bill arrives.

Disclaimers

  • Informational tool; not financial advice.
  • We don’t guarantee savings: these are estimates.