ahorr.ai · Blog

Why has my electricity bill gone up? A forensic autopsy of your costs

Respuesta rápida

Your electricity bill has likely increased due to higher consumption, changes in regulated prices, or contracted power excesses. In the Spanish market, fluctuations in the PVPC rate or

En 30 segundos

  • Check the 'Power' section: Are you paying for more kW than you actually use?
  • Identify 'Maintenance' or 'Insurance' line items you didn't authorize.
  • Compare the price per kWh with the current market average.

Stop guessing, start saving

Upload your bill for a 30-second forensic autopsy. No calls, no spam, just the facts.

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.

The typical causes (and how they look in the breakdown)

To understand the increase, we must divide the bill into its DNA: fixed costs and variable costs.

Fixed vs Variable: The first split

The fixed part (power) is what you pay even if you don't turn on a single light. If this has gone up, check if your company has updated their prices or if you've recently increased your kW. The variable part (energy) depends on how much you use and, crucially, when you use it.

Invisible Extras: The 'Vampire' services

Many companies add 'protection' or 'maintenance' services that cost between 3€ and 10€ per month. These often appear after a contract renewal or a promotional period ends.

What to check in your bill (The paper trail)

Every bill has a 'Detail of the Bill' section. This is where the forensic evidence is hidden.

Where to look

Go straight to the second page. Look for the 'Facturación por potencia' and 'Facturación por energía consumida'. If you see a line called 'Otros conceptos', that is where the hidden fees live.

Numbers to note

Write down your price per kWh. In the current market, anything significantly above the average is a red flag. Also, check your 'Potencia Máxima Demandada'—if it's much lower than your contracted power, you are losing money every month.

Quick solution: An autopsy with ahorr.ai

Manual checking is tedious and prone to error. Our tool does the forensic work for you in seconds, providing a clear report of what's wrong.

  • Detects oversized power automatically by analyzing your peaks.
  • Identifies hidden insurance or maintenance fees that inflate your total.
  • Compares your current price against the Top 3 market rates in real-time.

What to do with your forensic report

Once you have the data, you have the power. You don't need to be an expert to take action.

What you would do with the report

With the ahorr.ai report, you can call your current provider to demand a power reduction or a service cancellation, or simply switch to a provider that doesn't include those 'vampire' costs.

Forensic Checklist: Where to find the 'theft'

  • Check the 'Power' section: Are you paying for more kW than you actually use?
  • Identify 'Maintenance' or 'Insurance' line items you didn't authorize.
  • Compare the price per kWh with the current market average.
  • Verify if your consumption happens during Peak (P1), Flat (P2), or Valley (P3) hours.
  • Look for 'Regularization' charges from previous months that might be inflating the total.

Symptoms and Culprits in your Bill

SymptomLikely CulpritEvidence to look for
Fixed cost is very highOversized PowerMaximeter readings significantly below contracted kW
Variable cost spikedPeak hour consumptionHigh kWh usage in the P1 period on your breakdown
New line item appearedVampire servicesMaintenance, 'Protection', or 'Emergency' fees
Unexpected total jumpEstimated vs Real readingCheck if the reading type says 'Estimada' instead of 'Real'

Identifying these symptoms is the first step toward a successful autopsy.

The case of the landlord and the 'Peak Hour' ghost

A landlord in Madrid noticed a 30% spike in bills for a rental property. They assumed the tenants were using more heating. After an autopsy, we found the consumption hadn't increased much, but it had shifted entirely to peak hours (P1) due to a change in the tenants' work schedules.

Hallazgos

  • Contracted power was 4.6 kW while actual peaks never exceeded 2.8 kW.
  • A hidden maintenance service was costing 6.99 €/month without providing value.
  • The effective price was 0.23 €/kWh due to poor timing vs. better market alternatives.

Don't have a bill handy?

Create your energy profile manually and we'll still help you find the best rates for your home.

Related guides

Preguntas frecuentes

It usually refers to a change in one of three areas: the price per kWh (energy), the amount of power contracted (fixed), or the addition of non-energy services like insurance.
Having more power (kW) than your appliances actually need simultaneously, or staying on a fixed-rate plan when your habits fit a time-of-use tariff.
You can lower your contracted power to match your real peaks or cancel optional maintenance services immediately to reduce the fixed cost.
Our AI scans every line item, identifies your consumption patterns, and compares them against the entire Spanish market to find the 'leaks' and inefficiencies.
One bill is enough for a snapshot, but three months of history allow for a much more accurate forensic diagnosis of your habits.

Your data is yours

We use ephemeral processing. We don't store your bills or sell your data to third parties.

Disclaimers

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