Mark-up and fees: what the retailer charges on top of the spot price
The spot price is the same at every retailer. The difference between them lies in the mark-up and fees.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
On a variable or quarter-hour contract you pay the spot price for your bidding zone, which is the same whichever retailer (elhandlare) you pick. What sets retailers apart is what they charge on top: a mark-up (påslag) per kilowatt-hour and often a fixed annual fee. Energimarknadsbyrån, the consumer energy bureau, says the annual fee is usually around 100 to 500 kronor, and that VAT is added to every cost. Part of the cost may also be a fee for electricity certificates (elcertifikat), which retailers must buy in proportion to customers’ consumption; according to the Swedish Energy Agency the average cost was 0.2 öre per kWh in 2023. A 5 öre mark-up before VAT costs a house using 20,000 kWh a year SEK 1,250; the same mark-up costs a flat using 2,000 kWh SEK 125. Use your own figures below.
What do the mark-up and monthly fee cost per year?
Mark-up and fee per year
SEK 781
| Mark-up incl. VAT | SEK 313 |
| Monthly fees | SEK 468 |
| Per kWh all in | 15.6 öre/kWh |
What the retailer charges for
Energimarknadsbyrån describes the retail part of the bill as the electricity price under your contract, in many cases a fixed annual fee, possibly a certificate fee, and VAT on everything. On a quarter-hour contract, the bureau says, you pay the spot price for the power you use plus the retailer’s mark-up and VAT. On a variable monthly price it is the month’s average plus mark-up. On a fixed price the mark-up is built into the fixed rate and does not appear as its own line.
According to Energimarknadsbyrån, retailers and grid companies may not charge an invoice fee or a fee for billing data. What you pay beyond the energy is therefore the mark-up, the annual fee and possibly certificates.
Two contracts, three households
| kWh a year | Mark-up 3 öre + 300 kr fee | Mark-up 8 öre, no fee |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | SEK 375 | SEK 200 |
| 5,000 | SEK 488 | SEK 500 |
| 20,000 | SEK 1,050 | SEK 2,000 |
The table shows why you cannot say which contract is cheapest without knowing the consumption. For a small flat the contract without an annual fee wins despite the higher mark-up. For the heated house it is the other way round. The mini-calculator finds where the line falls for you.
Where the line falls between two offers
Between the offer with a 3 öre mark-up and a 300 kronor annual fee and the one with 8 öre and no fee, the break-even point is 4,800 kWh a year. Below that consumption the no-fee contract is cheaper; above it the lower mark-up pays off. The sum is simple: the mark-up gap, 5 öre plus VAT, times consumption must equal the annual fee. The same reasoning works for any pair of offers. Swap in the figures in front of you to see which suits your home.
The mark-up’s share of the all-in price
At the Statistics Sweden average variable price for a flat in SE3, a 5 öre mark-up, a 25 öre transfer fee and energy tax, the all-in price is 205.9 öre/kWh with VAT. The mark-up makes up 6.3 öre/kWh of that, or 3 %. Small, but it is one of the few parts of the bill where the choice is yours. A fixed annual fee hits small users harder: 300 kronor a year over 2,000 kWh is 15 öre per kWh.
Electricity certificates in 2026
The certificate system supports renewable generation. Retailers must buy certificates in proportion to their customers’ use, and the cost is passed on. The Swedish Energy Agency puts the average cost at 0.2 öre per kWh in 2023, a small part of the price. On 1 January 2026 the certificate act and ordinance were amended, and in June 2026 the agency was asked to propose how the system could close in 2029 instead of 2035. If it ends earlier, the cost leaves retailers’ pricing; when depends on decisions not yet taken.
Finding the mark-up in your contract
- Look for påslag, tillägg or fast påslag in the contract terms or the retailer’s customer pages. It is given in öre per kWh, with or without VAT; check which.
- Look for an annual fee, fixed fee or monthly fee (årsavgift, fast avgift, månadsavgift). Multiply a monthly fee by twelve.
- Check whether certificates appear as a separate line on the bill or are included in the mark-up.
- Enter the mark-up in the mark-up field of the home-page calculator to see your all-in price.
Mark-up and the default contract
If you move in and choose no retailer, you are placed on a default contract. Statistics Sweden data shows the default price in SE3 last month at 116.3 öre/kWh before VAT for a flat, against 98.7 öre/kWh on a variable contract. For a flat using 2,000 kWh a year that gap is SEK 440 with VAT. Choosing a contract yourself is one of the easiest ways to cut the retail part of the bill. What each contract type has cost is on fixed or variable price.
The mark-up against the whole bill
A mark-up of a few öre looks small next to energy tax of 36.0 öre/kWh or the grid transfer fee. Unlike them, though, you can change it by switching retailer or contract; tax and grid fee stay the same whoever sells you power. See the electricity bill for how every part adds up, and the grid fee for the part you cannot switch away from.