Capacity charges for businesses in 2026: what applies after the halt?
The government halted the capacity charge requirement in March 2026, but businesses with capacity subscriptions above 63 A pay for capacity as before. Here is how the charge works and how to calculate it.
Short answer
On 13 March 2026, the government halted the requirement for all grid companies to have introduced a capacity charge (effektavgift) by 1 January 2027. The headlines focused on households and smaller connections. For most medium-sized and large businesses, nothing changed: if you have a main fuse above 63 A, you already pay for capacity, and you will continue to do so.
This guide explains the difference between the two subscription types, what the halt does and does not mean, what is included in a capacity subscription and how to calculate the right subscribed capacity.
Fuse-based subscription or capacity subscription?
How the grid fee (nätavgift) is structured depends on the size of the connection.
Fuse-based subscription (säkringsabonnemang, 16–63 A). The fixed fee is determined by the main fuse size and the variable part by the number of kWh. This group, households and smaller businesses such as shops, clinics and small offices, is the one the capacity charge requirement mainly concerned. Some grid companies had already introduced a capacity charge on top, others were planning to.
Capacity subscription (effektabonnemang, above 63 A). Larger connections, at low voltage (0.4 kV) or high voltage, have long had a tariff where capacity in kW is a separate cost item. The threshold is often stated as "above 63 A" and at some grid companies as "from 80 A", since that is the next fuse size. This group includes industry, larger properties, grocery stores, hospitals, logistics centres and data centres.
You can see which subscription you have on the grid invoice. If it shows a capacity charge in kr/kW or a subscribed capacity, you have a capacity subscription.
What the halt does and does not mean
In 2022, the Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate (Ei) decided through regulation EIFS 2022:1 that all grid companies must have a capacity charge by 1 January 2027. The government's decision means:
- Ei is to repeal EIFS 2022:1 by 30 June 2026 at the latest.
- Ei is to submit a proposal for a new design by 12 April 2027 at the latest. According to the assignment, the charge should be linked to the times of day when the grid, for the season, is heavily loaded, and the cost should be reasonable in relation to the other parts of the grid fee.
- Until then, each grid company decides for itself.
Several grid companies have removed or paused the capacity charge for fuse customers during 2026, while others have kept it. Paused is not the same as removed. A company that has paused the charge can reintroduce it once Ei's new model is in place.
What the halt does not mean:
- That capacity subscriptions above 63 A disappear. They were never covered by the change.
- That the grid fee will be lower. The grid company's revenue is regulated separately, so the cost can be moved to fixed fees or the kWh price.
- That the matter is settled for smaller connections. A new model may arrive from 2027 or later.
What is included in a capacity subscription?
Price lists differ greatly between Sweden's approximately 170 grid companies, both in level and in how capacity is measured. The most common components are:
- Fixed fee per year or month, independent of consumption.
- Capacity charge in kr/kW. Either on a subscribed capacity that you choose in advance, or on the highest measured capacity each month.
- Peak load charge. Some grid companies charge an extra fee per kW for the highest capacity during peak hours, for example weekdays 06–22 in the winter months.
- Overrun. If the measured capacity exceeds the subscribed level, the difference is charged, often at double the price per kW.
- Reactive power. Drawing reactive power above a certain share of the subscribed active power, often 50 %, costs extra.
- Transmission fee in öre/kWh, which may be higher during peak hours.
On top of this come energy tax and government fees.
How capacity is measured
In the price lists we have reviewed, measured capacity is an hourly average: the number of kWh used during one hour, expressed in kW. An hour with 250 kWh gives 250 kW. Which value counts then varies:
- the highest hour during the month
- the highest hour during peak hours
- the average of the two highest hours, per week or from different months
- the highest hour during the year, compared with subscribed capacity
Electricity meters now in many cases measure and report per quarter-hour, and the electricity price on the day-ahead market has been set per quarter-hour since 1 October 2025. That does not mean the grid fee is calculated per quarter-hour. Check in your price list which time interval applies. The difference matters: a quarter-hour at 400 kW followed by three quarter-hours at 200 kW gives an hourly average of 250 kW. With quarter-hour values, the peak would have been 400 kW.
Calculate the right subscribed capacity
With subscribed capacity, you pay for a level all year. If it is too high, you pay for capacity you do not use. If it is too low, you pay overrun fees.
Example: We assume a capacity price of 600 kr per kW per year and overruns at double the price, 1,200 kr per kW. Your highest hour in the past twelve months was 310 kW.
| Subscribed capacity | Subscription | Overrun | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 400 kW | 240,000 kr | 0 kr | 240,000 kr |
| 340 kW | 204,000 kr | 0 kr | 204,000 kr |
| 310 kW | 186,000 kr | 0 kr | 186,000 kr |
| 300 kW | 180,000 kr | 12,000 kr | 192,000 kr |
Under these assumptions, every kW above the need costs 600 kr and every kW below the need costs a net 600 kr extra. The cheapest level is close to the actual peak, with a margin for growth you know is coming. Calculate using your own grid company's prices and rules. If overruns are charged per month or week, or if the grid company may raise the subscription after repeated overruns, under-subscribing becomes more expensive than in the table.
Subscribed capacity can usually only be changed with notice and a limited number of times per year, sometimes only ahead of the next calendar year. Find out when your window for changes is and put it in the calendar.
If instead you have a tariff where you pay for the highest hour each month, there is no subscription to adjust. Then it is the peak itself you need to lower. We describe how in Peak loads: how to lower your grid fee.
Action list
- Pull the last three grid invoices and note the fuse size, tariff name and which capacity items appear.
- Get the price list and terms of application for your specific tariff from the grid company's website. Note how capacity is measured (hour or quarter-hour, month or year, peak hours or around the clock).
- Request hourly values for the past twelve months. Sort out the ten highest hours and note the weekday and time.
- Compare the highest hour with your subscribed capacity. Calculate as in the table above using your own prices.
- Check whether you pay for reactive power. Read more in What is reactive power?.
- If you have a fuse-based subscription: ask the grid company whether the capacity charge has been removed or only paused, and what applies in 2027.
- Plan new loads, such as charging, heat pumps or a new production line, before they are connected, not after the first overrun.
- Review the terms annually. Use the Grid contract checklist as support.
Further reading in this series
- Peak loads: how to lower your grid fee with examples for 27 industries
- Capacity charges in industry
- Capacity charges for grocery stores
- Capacity in properties: charging, heat pumps and simultaneous loads
If you would like someone to review your grid invoice and subscribed capacity, Savera can carry out an independent review.