I have these options for electricity prices from Helen, the carbon free one is cheaper at 0.29 cents. However, is there a catch here? The cheaper pricing and carbon free is obviously more appealing but why would they give me other options that are more expensive and less environmental friendly? Please see the two pictures attached.

Thanks for your help.

by Similar_Honey433

12 comments

  1. Carbon free options will be 4.96 + spot price + marginal of 0.49 + 0.29 (hiilivapaa) + 2.90, so these are on-top addons basically.

  2. I’m fairly sure the price of the carbon free option is added on top of the regular fee.

    Also please keep in mind that the electricity contract in the first image is a spot-priced one. In practice, you’d be paying whatever the Nord pool spot price is for the time slot plus 0,49c/kWh margin (and optionally plus 0,29c/kWh for the carbon free option)

  3. Hiilivapaa and Uusiutuva are both just add-ons in case you want to pay even more.

  4. They are **additional** prices for making you think you choose better for the environment. As far as I know, your electricity comes from the same place regardless of which add-ons you choose, so I just go for the basic one.

  5. The catch is that you are offered to pay additional 2.90€/month and 0,29 cent/kWh on top of 4,96€/month and 0,49 cent/kWh, while it is not explained clearly

    So it will be 4,96+2,90=7,86 and 0,49+0,29+current electricity market price=0,78+current price

  6. If you don’t have direct electric heating, pörssisähkö is the way to go. You can adjust your consumption to the cheapest hours.

  7. The last two options are just to test how gullible consumers are

  8. Don’t know if this was the question, but “uusiutuva” is the most environmentally friendly. It contains only renewables like wind and solar, where carbon free includes also nuclear. But both are eco friendly options.

  9. Thank you all for the help. I understand this better now.

  10. The fee should automatically be applied to less environmentally-friendly options with no extra fee when choosing the most environmentally friendly option.

  11. in these “carbon neutral” options you just pay extra for some alleged paperwork, no actual effect on energy source

  12. 0,49 snt/kWh is normal marginal and 4,96€ per month as traditional monthy payment fee.
    If you choose carbon free your marginal will be 0,78 snt/kWh and monthly fee 7,86€ per month. So no reason to pay extra for it.
    If we assume you consume 2500 kwh/year and electricity price is around 5 snt from 12 months.
    One average you would pay 196,77€ per year (16,39€ per month) with normal option.
    With carbon free same would be 238,82€ per year (19,90€ per month)
    I included marginals and payment fees for both calculations.
    If you want carbon/fossil free energy just choose different company that does not ask any extra prices for that. For example Vattenfall

    Anyway the option without any extra ofc is cheap already. Choose other options only if you want to pay more for same electricity.

    Hope this helps. 🙂

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