Detailed calculation method
The price of a kilowatt-hour is not negotiable in Switzerland: it is set every year by your municipality's grid operator. This tool therefore starts from the official tariffs rather than a national average.
Data and calculation
annual bill = consumption (kWh) × your municipality's kWh price
Source: ElCom, tariff year 2026, reference category H4 (5-room household with electric cooker and tumble dryer, approx. 4,500 kWh/year), standard product of the local operator. 2,123 municipalities covered.
The result is then placed in context: percentage gap against the Swiss median (27.89 ct/kWh), your municipality's rank out of 2,123, and a ranking of the cheapest and most expensive municipalities.
What you pay breaks down into four blocks, only two of which depend on the market: energy (approx. 11.6 ct/kWh on average in 2026), grid usage (approx. 11.2 ct), the federal grid surcharge funding renewable energy (capped at 2.3 ct) and cantonal or municipal levies (approx. 1.1 ct on average, but up to 7.4 ct in Basel-Stadt). The canton-by-canton detail is in our article on electricity prices in Switzerland.
Limitations and accuracy
The tariffs published by ElCom are shown excluding VAT (8.1 % in 2026) and excluding any fixed metering charges: your actual bill will therefore be slightly higher. Dual tariffs (peak / off-peak) are not modelled — if your operator applies one, your average price will depend on how your consumption is spread across the day.
Category H4 serves as the comparison reference, but your profile may differ: a studio consumes closer to 1,600 kWh (H1), a house with an electric water heater 7,500 kWh or more (H5–H8). Enter your actual consumption, readable on your last annual bill, rather than the default value. Tariffs are also revised every year and must be published by the end of August for the following year.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change electricity supplier?
Not as a household. The Swiss market is liberalised only for consumers above 100 MWh per year. You remain a customer of your municipality's operator, but you can often choose among its products: moving from the standard product to the cheapest one is the only tariff choice available.
Which consumption category matches my home?
H1 approx. 1,600 kWh (studio), H2 approx. 2,500 kWh (4 rooms without electric cooker), H4 approx. 4,500 kWh (5 rooms with cooker and dryer), H5 approx. 7,500 kWh (5-room house with electric water heater). The simplest approach is to enter your actual consumption.
Why does my bill not match exactly?
Three usual reasons: VAT and metering charges are not included in published tariffs, your product may not be the standard one, and your actual consumption differs from the value entered.
When are new tariffs known?
Grid operators must publish their tariffs for the following year by the end of August. The consolidated data for all municipalities is then released by ElCom.
Sources and references