Approximately 10% of the world's population is left-handed. This is the same percentage as professionals who work at night in Spain, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE), and those who are self-employed, according to the same source.

We are all a minority in something. And being in the minority, contrary to what the majority thinks, brings more advantages than we imagine. Besides having a guaranteed conversation starter when you pick up your cutlery or go for a walk at midday, opportunities often arise that we enjoy more than others.

Thus, there are studies confirming certain advantages for left-handed people in competitive environments, or in sports such as handball, fencing, baseball, and martial arts. There is also evidence that those who work, play, or put the washing machine on at unconventional times can take advantage of significant savings on their electricity bill. Of course, choosing the right tariff is what makes this possible. In this article, we're going to lend you a hand, whether you use your left or your right.

Time-of-use tariffs: savings for those who live at odd hours

Time-of-use tariffs, such as Endesa's Conecta 3 Periodos, vary what you pay for electricity depending on when you use it.

In Spain, they originated in the 1980s, when an initially cheaper night tariff was established. And they have evolved into the system we know today, with three clearly differentiated tariff periods.

Their goal is to adjust the price of electricity to each moment of the day or week, depending on the electricity demand occurring every hour across the country and, consequently, the greater or lesser energy generation required to satisfy that demand.

Based on this idea, with time-of-use tariffs, the bill is divided into three sections, and each section corresponds to an electricity price. These are the off-peak, shoulder, and peak hours that you may have already seen on your electricity bill if you have contracted this system.

It is a model that experts recommend when at least 35% of household consumption is concentrated on nights and weekends, because the price can be up to 50% cheaper than during the most expensive schedule. 

What off-peak hours are on your electricity bill

At night, when most people are sleeping and industries reduce their activity to a minimum, the overall energy demand is usually much lower. And the cost of producing and distributing it is too.

These are the off-peak hours, the cheapest of the day, which can mean a saving of 10 euro cents for every kWh you consume compared to the most expensive time slot of the day.

This period runs from midnight to 8 am and, because a large part of energy demand comes from businesses and industries, the savings also extend to all public holidays and weekends of the year.

Therefore, those who work at night, wait until Saturday to do the laundry, or dedicate Sunday to batch cooking for the week ahead, find in off-peak hours their best reward for going against the grain of the majority.

What shoulder and peak hours are on the electricity tariff

Contrary to what happens in off-peak hours, the higher the overall demand for electricity, the higher its cost. Peak hours capture that variation, which is reflected on your bill with the highest prices of the week: Monday to Friday from 10 am to 2 pm and from 6 pm to 10 pm, except on public holidays.

And, in the middle ground, shoulder hours cover three time slots every working day: from 8 am to 10 am, from 2 pm to 6 pm, and from 10 pm to midnight.

The three periods: the key to saving is when you use electricity

Given the above, if your consumption times run opposite to those of the majority, especially if they do not coincide with the hours of greatest business activity, opting for a regulated tariff can result in a worthwhile saving on your bill at the end of the month.

To prove this, we have prepared this comparison of what you could end up paying for working 8 hours a day for a month with a computer at home, depending on the schedule you work:

Cost for energy consumed calculated for a 0.3 kWh device working 160 hours a month, with the Conecta 3 Periodos Tariff (prices from 27 July 2026).

Stable 24-hour tariffs: when the difference lies in not watching the clock

There are many people, increasingly more, who stand out from the majority for a reason other than having a night schedule: not having fixed hours.

If you are among them, enjoying the rhythm of working when you have to and doing the chores when you can, living without keeping an eye on the clock can also have its advantages. And its own type of tariff.

Stable price tariffs are free-market tariffs in which the company offers the same electricity price 24 hours a day, regardless of the time slot or the day of the week you choose to consume it.

If we compare the previous table with one of Endesa's options for this category, the Conecta Luz Tariff, the cost for the energy consumed during a month working with your computer would be €5.23.

However, the reality is that not everything comes down to the computer. If you work from home during the day, you should probably add to that cost the increased use of air conditioning in summer. Or lighting and heating in winter, if you work at night. Consequently, before choosing your ideal tariff, it is advisable to consider all the appliances that will be involved in the decision.

How to know if a three-period tariff is right for you

The way to know whether a time-of-use tariff or a stable 24-hour price one is more beneficial is to analyse your different electricity consumption habits at home.

If most of what you do can be moved to nights and weekends, the best option is a time-of-use tariff. Working from home by the light of the moon, doing the laundry while everyone else sleeps, throwing yourself into batch cooking on Saturday and Sunday to meal-prep for the week ahead, or playing on the console with friends on the other side of the planet.

If the washing machine and the dishwasher cannot wait for the price to drop, or if you prefer to spend your days off resting, as the majority does, stable price tariffs are a good choice to stop worrying and spread everything out throughout the day.

The point is to figure out if your schedules and your needs truly fit with one tariff or another before deciding to switch. If you are an Endesa customer, you can rely on all the information InfoEnergía offers about your current consumption to calculate this with the utmost dexterity. Or, in honour of what we are celebrating today, with excellent left-handed flair.