Starting October 1, electricity prices across many European countries are switching to a 15-minute granularity — and Gridio is ready.

This change marks an important shift in how electricity is traded and priced in the day-ahead market. Here’s what it means for you, and how Gridio is adapting.

What’s Changing: From Hourly to 15-Minute Prices

Until now, electricity prices were calculated hour by hour. From now on, in most EU countries, prices will be published for every 15 minutes, giving a more detailed view of supply and demand throughout the day.

Why this matters:

• It reflects the increasing share of solar and wind power, which can fluctuate quickly.
• It allows for smarter decisions about when to charge your car or run appliances.
• It encourages more efficient flexibility in the electricity system overall.

How It Affects Your Electricity Bill

You need to check with your eneryg supplier for details, but in general depending on your smart meter setup, your electricity provider may already start billing you based on these 15-minute prices:

If you have a modern smart meter that supports 15-minute readings:

→ You’ll be billed directly based on the actual 15-minute prices.

If your smart meter is older or still reports hourly averages:

→ Your bill will still reflect the average of 15-minute prices over each hour.

→ This still benefits from the new system, but with slightly less granularity.

Either way, you don’t need to do anything — your electricity company will handle the transition.

How Gridio is Adapting – A 3‑Stage Rollout

We’re excited to be among the first apps to support 15-minute pricing. However, we are not (yet) confident to start turning your car charging ON and OFF every 15 minutes - as it has a potential negative impact on your onboard equipment. But do not worry, your charging will account for 15 minute price swings!

Here’s how we’ll roll it out for Gridio Smart Charging

Stage 1: 15-Minute Prices and Charging data

• You can already toggle to view prices in 15-minute intervals.
• Smart charging decisions will still be made on an hourly basis for now (i.e. charging will be scheduled to 2:00-4:00 - based on what is the cheapest average hourly price based on 15 minutes).

Stage 2: Quarter-hour start times, for Hourly slots

• As 15-minute prices go live, we will gradually start generatic charging slots for you in 15-minute start slots(i.e. 2:15-4:15) - however will continue to allow your car to charge for an hour in a row - and not send start stops more frequenty (see Stage 3)
• This will help you catch early price dips and avoid price spikes.

Stage 3: Finer Charging Control (Only Where Safe)

• We are still testing and reviewing the possibility of doing 15-minute charge slots (i.e. charge 2:15-2:30 and then 2:45-3:00
• However, we’re not switching to full 15-minute on/off control yet, as frequent switching can impact your car’s onboard equipment.
• We’ll roll this out gradually and carefully, ensuring your vehicle’s safety and longevity come first.

✅ What This Means for You

Gridio’s smart charging already ensures that:

• 15-minute price swings are already accounted for in your charge plan - initally on hourly-averages, then in 15-minute start windows.
• Price drops are captured more precisely than before.
• You stay ahead of the curve, regardless of how fast your utility adopts the new system.

If you have any questions about your specific car or meter setup, feel free to reach out via the app.

Let’s make the most of this smarter, more dynamic electricity system — together.