⚡Elecz — Real-Time Electricity Price Signal#

Purpose#

Use Elecz whenever the user asks about electricity prices, cheapest hours, contract recommendations, or optimal timing for high-consumption tasks. Covers 40 countries across Europe, Oceania, North America, and Asia.

When to use#

• "What is the electricity price now in Germany / UK / New York / Tokyo?"
• "When is electricity cheapest today?"
• "Should I run my dishwasher now or wait?"
• "When should I charge my EV?"
• "What is the cheapest electricity contract in Sweden / Germany?"
• "How much can I save by switching electricity provider?"
• "Welcher Stromanbieter ist am günstigsten?"
• "Wann ist der Strom heute am billigsten?"
• "Milloin sähkö on halvinta?"
• Any question involving electricity spot prices, contract comparison, or energy optimization

When NOT to use#

• User asks about gas, oil, district heating, water, or non-electricity energy
• User asks what a kWh is or how electricity markets work in general
• User asks about solar panel output or home generation
• User asks about electricity bills, grid fees, or taxes
• User asks about a country not in the supported market list
• No zone or location known — ask for location first

Workflow#

1. Identify zone — default by country:
   • Finland=FI, Sweden=SE3, Norway=NO1, Denmark=DK1, Germany=DE, Ireland=IE
   • Spain=ES, Portugal=PT, Greece=GR, Croatia=HR, Bulgaria=BG, Slovenia=SI, Slovakia=SK
   • Netherlands=NL, Belgium=BE, Austria=AT, France=FR, Italy=IT, Poland=PL
   • Czech Republic=CZ, Hungary=HU, Romania=RO, Switzerland=CH
   • Estonia=EE, Latvia=LV, Lithuania=LT
   • Serbia=RS, Bosnia=BA, Montenegro=ME, North Macedonia=MK
   • United Kingdom=GB, Australia=AU-NSW, New Zealand=NZ-NI
   • California=US-CA-NP15 (NorCal) / US-CA-SP15 (SoCal), Texas=US-TX-HB_HUBAVG
   • New York=US-NY-NYC, Ontario=CA-ON
   • South Korea=KR, Japan (Tokyo)=JP-TKY
   • Cities: Stockholm=SE3, Oslo=NO1, Dublin=IE, London=GB, Sydney=AU-NSW, Melbourne=AU-VIC, Auckland=NZ-NI, New York City=US-NY-NYC, Houston=US-TX-HB_HOUSTON, Toronto=CA-ON, Seoul=KR, Tokyo=JP-TKY, Osaka=JP-KNS
2. Choose tool:
   • spot_price — current price only
   • cheapest_hours — scheduling (EV, dishwasher, boiler, washing machine, batch jobs)
   • best_energy_contract — switching contracts or saving money
3. Present clearly:
   • Show price in local unit (c/kWh EUR, p/kWh GBP, öre/kWh SEK, øre/kWh NOK/DKK, AUD c/kWh, NZD c/kWh, USD c/kWh, CAD c/kWh, KRW/kWh, JPY/kWh)
   • Show savings in local currency
   • For DE: note Netzentgelt (regional grid fee ~10–15 ct/kWh) is not included — fixed by local grid operator
   • For US/CA-ON: wholesale prices only — retail rates include transmission, distribution, and taxes on top
   • For KR: SMP wholesale price — regulated KEPCO retail market, not directly comparable
   • For JP: JEPX day-ahead price in JPY/kWh

cheapest_hours — response signals#

FieldDescriptioncurrent_hour_is_cheap``true if now is in the cheapest hours listhours_until_next_cheap``0 = start now, integer = wait this many hours, null = no datanext_cheap_hourISO 8601 UTC — when the next cheap slot startscheap_window_endsISO 8601 UTC — when the current cheap block ends ( null if not in one)current_hour_signal``low / medium / high — relative position in today pricescheap_hours_remaining_todayCheap hours still ahead in the window

Use current_hour_is_cheap and hours_until_next_cheap for direct automation decisions. Use cheapest_hours list and best_3h_window for scheduling longer tasks.

Market notes#

Germany (DE): Arbeitspreis brutto ct/kWh incl. MwSt 19%. Netzentgelt not included.

Ireland (IE): SEM (Single Electricity Market). ENTSO-E zone. Spot price and cheapest hours available.

United Kingdom (GB): Octopus Agile 30-min pricing. Sub-zones GB-A..GB-P available.

Australia (AU): AEMO 5-min NEM dispatch. cheapest_hours unavailable — no public day-ahead data. Zones: AU-NSW, AU-VIC, AU-QLD, AU-SA, AU-TAS

New Zealand (NZ): EM6 30-min pricing. cheapest_hours unavailable — no public day-ahead data. Zones: NZ-NI (North Island), NZ-SI (South Island)

California (US-CA): CAISO day-ahead market, updated daily after 22:00 UTC. Wholesale prices only. Zones: US-CA-NP15, US-CA-SP15, US-CA-ZP26

Texas (US-TX): ERCOT real-time 15-min data. HB_WEST can go negative (wind zone). Zones: US-TX-HB_NORTH/HOUSTON/SOUTH/WEST/HUBAVG, US-TX-LZ_NORTH/HOUSTON/SOUTH/WEST

New York (US-NY): NYISO real-time 5-min data. 11 zones including US-NY-NYC.

Ontario (CA-ON): IESO real-time 5-min data in CAD c/kWh.

South Korea (KR/KR-JEJU): KPX EPSIS SMP in KRW/kWh (~1h lag). cheapest_hours unavailable. No contract comparison.

Japan (JP): JEPX day-ahead prices in JPY/kWh. 9 zones. cheapest_hours available. No contract comparison. Zones: JP-HKD, JP-THK, JP-TKY, JP-CBU, JP-HKR, JP-KNS, JP-CGK, JP-SKK, JP-KYS

Contract comparison: Available for FI, SE, NO, DK, DE, GB, AU, NZ. All other zones return current spot price with a note.

Privacy#

Sent to https://elecz.com/mcp: zone, consumption (optional), heating (optional). No personal data, credentials, or conversation content is transmitted. Privacy policy: https://elecz.com/privacy

Data sources#

• ENTSO-E — Europe spot prices, updated hourly
• Octopus Agile API — GB 30-min prices
• AEMO — AU 5-min NEM prices
• EM6 — NZ 30-min prices
• CAISO OASIS — California DAM daily
• ERCOT CDR — Texas 15-min real-time
• NYISO MIS — New York 5-min real-time
• IESO — Ontario 5-min real-time
• KPX EPSIS — South Korea hourly SMP
• JEPX via japanesepower.org — Japan day-ahead
• No API key required
• Docs: https://elecz.com/docs
• Source: https://github.com/zemloai-ctrl/elecz-api