A tehomaksu (power fee) is a charge from your grid company based on how much electricity you use at the same time, not how many kilowatt hours you use. It is priced in euros per kilowatt per month (€/kW). Most homes in Finland don't pay one yet, but some grid companies already charge it, and the Energy Authority is making the method the same everywhere from 2029.
Where it comes from
Your electricity bill has two parts. The seller charges for the energy. The grid company charges for bringing it to your home, and the tehomaksu is part of the grid company's bill.
Networks are built for the highest load. The Energy Authority (Energiavirasto) says just over a third of the power the distribution networks need comes from households. A power fee rewards spreading your use out, so the network doesn't have to be built as big.
Does it apply to you
That depends on your grid company and your network product. The grid company comes with your address: find yours in the list of grid companies or on your municipality's page.
These grid companies charge households a power fee today:
- Helen Sähköverkko, on its Aikasiirto product. Helen says the fee is set by the third-highest hourly average power each month, with night-time power counted at 80%. It costs 1.97 €/kW a month. Its Yleissiirto product has no power fee.
- Lahti Energia Sähköverkko, on Yleissiirto teho and Yösiirto teho. Lahti Energia says it has charged a power fee since 2017 on connections with a single home, but not on flats, terraced or semi-detached houses unless the customer chooses it. It is based on the highest hourly average in the past 12 months, at 1.00 €/kW a month, and 1.13 €/kW from 1 January 2027.
Many other grid companies only use power-based pricing for large connections. Caruna , Elenia and Oulun Energia use it when the main fuse is bigger than 63 amps. Alva says it charges no power fee to people living in houses or flats.
What changes in 2029
In February 2026 the Energy Authority set one method for power fees from 1 January 2029. For main fuses up to 3 x 63 amps, the fee is based on the highest hourly average power in the billing month, minus a threshold of 8 kW. Ordinary household use stays below it.
The rule doesn't oblige grid companies to add a power fee. The Energy Authority says households will still be able to choose a product without one, and that moving to a power-fee product should lower the basic fee, so it isn't an extra charge on top of today's bill.
Caruna says any changes to its products will come in 2027 at the earliest. Elenia is renewing its power-based products on 1 December 2026, which affects about 7,600 customers, around 2% of the total.
An example
Say you're on Helen's Aikasiirto and your third-highest hourly average this month is 6 kW. The power fee is 6 x 1.97 euros, about 11.80 euros for the month. Heat the sauna, charge an electric car and run the washing machine on the same evening, and the peak, and the fee, go up.
How to keep it low
- Don't run big appliances at once. Alva names the sauna heater and electric car charging as ones to run at different times.
- Schedule them. Charge the car at night and run the washing machine when the sauna is off. Alva says ordinary cooking doesn't cause a significant peak.
- Look at your own power use. You can see your hourly use in the Datahub customer portal or your grid company's service.
- Expect a delay. Where the fee is based on a 12-month peak, as in Lahti, a lower peak shows on the bill a year later.
The power fee has nothing to do with the spot price, which comes from your seller. Cheap hours still help: moving use to the night can save on both energy and power.
