Electricity prices

Prices of electric energy exclusive of public taxes (user tax on electricity, value added tax and subsidies to Enova) and exclusive of grid rent. This is explained in more detail in the annotations in the tables. The statistics then only covers the part of the electricity supply exposed for competition.

Wholesale market: Electricity producers, electricity suppliers and some industrial enterprises buy and sell power in large quantity primarily for re-sale to end users.

End-user market: Customers that buy electricity for their own consumption directly from an electricity supplier.

Grid rent: The customer is charged for transmission of the electricity by the local grid company.

Taxes consist of tax on consumption of electricity, value added tax (VAT) and subsidies to Enova. All counties in Norway have the same tax rate for the consumption of electricity, apart from some parts of Troms and the whole of Finnmark, which are exempt. The Enova tax was 1 øre/kWh in 2018 and is the same for all households throughout the country. VAT is added after electricity price, grid rent and other taxes have been added. Nordland, Troms and Finnmark are exempt from VAT.   

Spot price: Nord Pool Spot is the marketplace for physical power contracts. On Nord Pool Spot the electricity spot price is set for Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

Type of contracts in the end-user market

Fixed price contracts. All contracts where the price is fixed or where the price is linked to a fixed price path are regarded as fixed price contracts. Contracts tied to a price index are also included in the fixed price category.

Contracts tied to spot price: Includes all contracts derived from the elspot price. This category also includes contracts tied to spot price with an overhead charge or price ceiling. Markups and price ceilings are included in the average price.

Variable price contracts: A type of contract where the price varies during the year, mostly depending on market conditions. For a standard variable contract, the supplier may freely choose the price and its duration provided that any price change is announced to its customers at least 14 days in advance.

Contracts not entered in the market: Price contracts that are not determined by the market. For instance, contracts sold at cost-price or contracts where the state or a municipality sets a price that is higher or lower than the market price. 

Type of contracts in the wholesale market

Fixed price contracts. All contracts where the price is fixed or where the price is linked to a fixed price path are regarded as fixed price contracts. Contracts tied to a price index are also included in the fixed price category. Fixed price contracts are divided into full time and free time. Costumers with free-time fixed price contracts can choose electricity consumption freely during the contract period, while customers with full-time contracts have to distribute the consumption evenly.

Spot prices and regulating power prices: Volumes traded in the elspot and balancing power market.

Contracts not entered in the market: Price contracts that are not determined by the market. For instance, contracts sold at cost-price or contracts where the state or a municipality sets a price that is higher or lower than the market price. 

The standard for sector classification (NACE) is used when dividing prices between the electricity consumer groups. It is also split between different types of contracts for buying and selling electricity.

This division is found in the tables of the statistics.

Name: Electricity prices
Topic: Energy and manufacturing

Division for Business Cycle Statistics

Only national level.

Quarterly.

Half-yearly statistics delivered according to Directive 90/377/EEC.

The data is stored in Excel-files, one file per quarter. Revised micro data are stored in accordance with Statistics Norway's guidelines for storing of computer files.

The statistics for prices of electric energy is a quarterly statistics covering prices in the end-user market and wholesale market with information about the factual development of the prices of electric energy. The statistics was started the first quarter of 1998. The measuring period was only one day per quarter then. From the second quarter 1998 the measuring period was increased to one week in the middle of the quarter, in addition to a change in the questionnaire used for collecting data. In the first quarter of 2012 the measuring period was extended to cover the whole quarter. In addition som changes were made in the household fixed price contracts.

The statistics are used by the public authorities to follow the development in the market for electric energy. Different analyses institutions and branch organizations also use the statistics and some electricity suppliers use the statistics for prices of electric energy when they set their own prices.

No external users have access to the statistics and analyses before they are published and accessible simultaneously for all users on ssb.no at 8 am. Prior to this, a minimum of three months' advance notice is given in the Statistics Release Calendar.

For more information, see Principles for equal treatment of users in releasing statistics and analyses

Tables showing electricity prices in the wholesale market and the end-user market are available in the annual electricity statistics and quarterly electricity price statistics. The quarterly electricity price statistics are based on a sample of about 40 enterprises in the wholesale and end-user market, and are released around two months after the end of the quarter. Annual electricity statistics include all the enterprises in the population, and are released about 12 months after the reference year.   

The quarterly electricity price statistics have the most up-to-date electricity prices and provide information about different types of price contracts (spot price, variable price and fixed price). The annual electricity statistics are more detailed and the data source covers the whole population.

Internally the statistics is used in the quarterly national account and in the producer price index. The statistics is also used to calculate half-yearly electricity prices reported to Eurostat. Preliminary yearly average prices are calculated from the quarterly statistics.

The Statistic Act §10 and §20

Directive 90/377/EEC

The population includes companies within electricity supply, which means division 35.1 in the Norwegian Standard Industrial Classification. Data is collected from a sample from this population.

Own survey for quarterly electricity prices.

The statistics are made from information from a sample of about 40 electricity suppliers in the wholesale market and 45 electricity suppliers in the end-user market. The sample is made to cover as good as possible both large and small electricity plants, different geographical areas, and different consumer groups the electricity plants sell electricity to. About 16 per cent of the units of the population are included in the sample, but because the largest companies are included the ratio of the total quantity is about 60 per cent.

The survey is based on electronic questionnaires collected via Altinn, About 95 per cent of the responses are returned via Altinn. Reminders are done by e-mail and phone. The response rate is about 98 per cent.

Maximum and minimum values are controlled. To some extent the figures are also compared with previous reported data for each of the electricity plants. Decimal- and thousand separators and denomination are controlled thorough. The prices are compared with the spot prices of electricity at Nord Pool. Reported quantities are somethimes compared with reported quantities in the yearly electricity statistics and Energy use in the manufacturing sector.

Missing questionnaires are not imputated. Quantities sold and average prices are collected for different types of contracts and consumer groups. Weighted average prices and measures of dispersion are made from this.

Not relevant

According to § 7 and § 8 of the Statistics Act, collected data are subject to secrecy and must be kept or destroyed in a secure manner. Any use of the data must be in accordance with the rules set out by the Data Inspectorate.

The quarterly statistics for electricity prices was started the 1st quarter 1998. A change was made in the questionnaire from the 1st to the 2nd quarter that year. After that period there where no changes in the statistics until 1st quarter 2012.

From 1st quarter 2012 and onwards the measuring periode increased from one week in the midle of each quarter to covering the whole quarter. Data published after the 1st quarter 2012 is still comparable with earlier quarters.

As from the fourth quarter of 2019 the grid rent without taxes does not include enova tax. As from the same period a double registration of the enova tax of 1 øre per kWh in the grid  rent including taxes has been corrected.

Collection errors may occur in the data due to oblivion, misunderstandings, etc. Processing errors may occur in the exercise of the quality controls. Misunderstandings of the variables and valuations by the units in the samlple may lead to uncertainty in the figures from the survey.

The prices are supposed to be reported without public taxes. If someone don't know this the prices can be too high. But the prices are also supposed to be reported inclusive of possible fixed part of the price. If someone don't know this the prices can be too low.

Missing questionnaires are not imputated. The response rate is about 98 per cent.

The figures are not revised after the release of the statistics except if large errors are discovered.