Day-ahead power price nearly twice last year's level this autumn

The Dutch day-ahead power price averaged €152.21 per MWh in September 2026. A year earlier it was €77.65, so the price has almost doubled. If you buy power on a dynamic or day-ahead-linked contract, you see this straight away on your bill; with a variable contract it follows at the next tariff adjustment. If you sign a new contract this autumn, you do so in the same price climate.

Since March, every month has cost more than a year earlier

Since March 2026, the monthly day-ahead average has been higher than in the same month of 2025 every single time. From January to September the average price came to €108.14 per MWh, 25% more than the €86.46 of a year earlier. The gap widened as the year went on: 68% in August and 96% in September. At €152.21, September 2026 was the most expensive month since December 2022.

October continues the trend. From 1 to 14 October the average price was €161.23 per MWh, against €90.62 over the same days in 2025. That is 78% higher. In January and February power was still cheaper in 2026 than in 2025, but the rest of the year has more than made up for that. The most expensive quarter hour of 2026 so far was on 24 June at 8.45 pm, at €902.47 per MWh.

Gas, gas storage and CO2 are pushing the price up

In the Netherlands the power price largely moves with the gas price. The ACM, the Dutch regulator, explains that this is because a large share of Dutch electricity is generated in gas-fired power plants. The TTF gas contract for November 2026 delivery settled at €87.16 per MWh on 13 October, 18% higher than on 1 October. CO2 has also become more expensive: a European emission allowance cost €87.04 per tonne at the auction of 13 October, against €78.66 a year earlier.

On top of that, Europe is heading into winter with less gas in storage. On 12 October, Dutch gas storage was 62.96% full, against 71.94% a year earlier. For the EU as a whole the figures were 73.94% and 83.15%. The 2026 EU figure is still provisional and may be revised. On that same day, the Netherlands was still injecting more gas into storage than it withdrew.

Fixed and variable contracts feel it at different times

When you notice the higher prices depends on your contract. With a variable or dynamic contract that follows the day-ahead market, every month feeds straight into your costs. With a fixed contract you pay the agreed price until the end of the term. This autumn's prices only come into play when you sign a new contract, and anyone renewing now does so under today's market conditions.

There are also hours when power costs very little. From January to September 2026 the day-ahead market still had 388 hours with a negative price, mostly around midday on sunny days. That was 28% fewer than in the same period of 2025, when there were 538.

What does this mean for you?

• Check how your contract follows the day-ahead price: fully, partly or only when you renew.
• Note the end date of your current contract and decide in good time when you will choose the next one.
• Follow the gas price and gas storage as well as the power price. According to the ACM, the power price moves with gas.
• See whether you can shift consumption to hours with plenty of sun. In 2026 those hours were again the cheapest on average.

COMCAM is happy to work out what these prices mean for your own situation.

Sources: Energy-Charts (Fraunhofer ISE), data Bundesnetzagentur | SMARD.de, Dutch day-ahead market, retrieved 14 October 2026; GIE AGSI+, gas day 12 October 2026; EEX, TTF settlement of 13 October 2026 and EU ETS auctions of 13 October 2026 and 13 October 2025; ACM, Energy Monitor of 11 September 2026.