Back in spring, Macedonia's Energy Regulatory Commission (RKE) floated the idea: more hours of cheap electricity for households, maybe even a cheap Saturday. The first announcements said the analysis would be finished by the end of September. September has come and gone. The analysis hasn't arrived.

At the start of October, RKE president Aco Ristov once again announced an analysis of block tariffs and the cheap tariff. There is no final decision, he says, because the Commission is waiting for data and requests from the energy companies for the next three-year regulatory period. "We will do an analysis, come out with a public debate and include all the parties involved, the university and everyone who matters in energy," Ristov says.

The sun changed the market, the tariff stayed the same

The logic behind the change is clear and, for once, in citizens' favour. The current model was designed during the energy crisis, when electricity was most expensive during the day. Since then, solar power plants have turned the market upside down. "We have cheap energy during the day, when there is overproduction from solar, and in the evening, when there is none, electricity can be more expensive," Ristov explains.

Today households get the cheap daytime tariff only from 13:00 to 15:00, plus the night and Sunday tariffs. Among the options floated as early as May and June is extending the cheap daytime tariff to four or even five hours, between 11:00 and 15:00, when exchange prices are often at their lowest. A cheap tariff on Saturdays is also being considered, when industry uses less and solar plants keep producing through the weekend.

In parallel, RKE is planning a digital platform to monitor production and consumption in real or near-real time. Ristov admits that collecting data monthly, half-yearly or yearly, as has been done so far, isn't enough for detailed analysis. Block tariffs and the regulated prices for transmission and distribution are also under review, without ruling out a cut to some of those charges.

December, then January

A final decision is expected in December, and the new prices are meant to apply from 1 January 2027. The government insists it is not planning a price rise, but looking for a way to make electricity cheaper or give people more cheap hours. Fine. But four cheap hours in the middle of the day are most useful to whoever is at home at 11 in the morning. Will the new model be built only for pensioners and people working from home - or also for the family that gets back from work at five in the afternoon? So far, that question isn't being heard in any of the announcements.