Electricity support 2026: amounts by zone, payment and current status
The support for winter 2026 has been paid. Here are the amounts, the conditions and the outlook for next winter.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Sweden’s 2026 electricity support (elstöd) covered household consumption in January and February 2026 and was paid by Försäkringskassan, the social insurance agency, from early June with no application, to whoever held the contract with the grid company on 28 February 2026. It was 14 öre per kWh in SE1 and SE2, 26 öre in SE3 and 29 öre in SE4, for at most 10,000 kWh per home. A household in SE4 reaching the cap therefore received SEK 2,900, in SE1 SEK 1,400. The government’s own examples: a house in SE3 using 6,400 kWh received about 1,660 kronor and a flat in SE4 using 750 kWh about 217 kronor. There is also a high-cost protection during 2026 if the monthly average spot price in a zone exceeds 1.50 kronor per kWh. No support has been decided for winter 2026–2027.
How much support did January and February 2026 give?
Support payable
SEK 1,664
| Amount per kWh in SE3 | 26 öre |
| kWh counted (cap) | 6,400 / 10,000 |
| Grid contract held on | 2026-02-28 |
Paid by Försäkringskassan from June 2026, with no application.
Amounts by bidding zone
| Zone | Per kWh | Flat 750 kWh | House 6,400 kWh | Cap 10,000 kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SE1 | 14 öre | SEK 105 | SEK 896 | SEK 1,400 |
| SE2 | 14 öre | SEK 105 | SEK 896 | SEK 1,400 |
| SE3 | 26 öre | SEK 195 | SEK 1,664 | SEK 2,600 |
| SE4 | 29 öre | SEK 218 | SEK 1,856 | SEK 2,900 |
The amounts are consumption times the rate per kWh, up to the cap. The government’s examples match: a house in SE1 or SE2 using 7,900 kWh received about 1,100 kronor and a flat using 750 kWh in SE1 or SE2 about 105 kronor. The support was based on all consumption in the home, not just heating.
How it was paid
- Grid companies reported each home’s January and February 2026 consumption and who held the contract on 28 February.
- Försäkringskassan paid from early June 2026 into the account held in Swedbank’s account register. Most households had it before Midsummer.
- Those without a registered account, or who had to complete their details, were paid later; Försäkringskassan says payments go out weekly from late August 2026.
Households heated by gas from the west Swedish gas grid received an equivalent support in autumn 2026, through the gas grid companies.
Work it out yourself, step by step
You need two facts: your consumption in January and February 2026, shown on the grid company’s bills or in its customer portal, and your bidding zone. Add the two months, compare with the cap and multiply.
- January plus February consumption, for example 2,100 + 1,900 = 4,000 kWh.
- If the sum is above 10,000 kWh, only 10,000 counts. Here all 4,000 count.
- Times the zone rate: in SE3 26 öre, so 4,000 × 26 öre = SEK 1,040.
If the amount you received differs from your own sum, the consumption figure is usually the reason, for instance a provisional February meter reading. The grid company can show what consumption it reported.
Common misunderstandings
- The retailer does not pay it. It is tied to the grid contract, and the money comes from Försäkringskassan, not via the bill.
- The cap is per home. 10,000 kWh is the limit for the whole home, not per resident.
- The zone sets the rate, not the county. A home in a grid area belonging to SE3 received 26 öre even if the next municipality is in SE4. Look up your grid area on Nätområden.se.
- Gas was separate. Households on the west Swedish gas grid were paid by the gas grid companies in the autumn, at the same rate per kWh as SE4.
The high-cost protection during 2026
In the 2026 budget bill the government set aside SEK 1,000,000,000 for a high-cost protection (högkostnadsskydd). It applies if the monthly average spot price in a zone exceeds 1.50 kronor per kWh, and the government states it remains in place throughout 2026. We have not been able to read in any ordinance exactly how such support would be calculated, nor found an official statement that it has been paid. We therefore give no amounts.
Earlier supports, 2021–2022
Försäkringskassan paid two earlier supports. The first covered consumption from 1 October 2021 to 30 September 2022 in the southern half of Sweden and went to whoever held the grid contract on 17 November 2022. The second covered the whole country for November and December 2022, went to the contract holder on 31 December 2022 and covered 80 percent of consumption up to 18,000 kWh. The ordinances lapsed at the end of 2023.
What the support meant for the winter’s cost
A per-kWh payment made afterwards does not lower the price when you use the power, but it lowers what the winter cost in total. For an electrically heated house in SE4 using 3,000 kWh in January and 3,000 in February, the support came to SEK 1,740. Compare that with what the same use costs with energy tax and VAT, or put the winter consumption into the electricity bill calculator.
The support compared with the tax cut
The same year energy tax fell from 43.9 öre/kWh to 36.0 öre/kWh, which with VAT is 9.9 öre/kWh less on every kWh all year. For an electrically heated house using 20,000 kWh a year that is SEK 1,975. The support for the same house in SE3, using 6,400 kWh in January and February, was SEK 1,664. The tax cut works every month and shows on the bill; the support came once, afterwards.
If you would rather protect yourself against next winter than wait for support, look at fixed or variable pricing; Statistics Sweden data shows what each contract type has cost.