F1, F2 and F3 time bands: what they mean for a business

Time bands group the hours of the week into three sets that may carry different electricity prices. The definition comes from ARERA and is set out in the bill glossary in force since 1 July 2025; the hours are the same in the consolidated text on supply (TIV) valid from 1 April 2027.

ARERA's definition

Holidays are listed in the TIV: in the text valid from 1 April 2027 the list also includes 4 October, which does not appear in the one valid from 1 July 2026.

F1 is not always the most expensive band

The idea that F1 always costs more and F3 always less should be checked against the numbers. In the index that ARERA publishes for PLACET offers to non-domestic customers, linked to the PUN, in September 2026 the value was 0.206350 €/kWh in F1, 0.227576 in F2 and 0.197024 in F3: the most expensive band was F2, and the difference between F1 and F3 was less than one cent per kWh. This is a single month's figure, and the ratios between bands can change from one month to the next: PUN trends are on the market indices page.

Bands, hours and quarter-hours

• Bands are an aggregation used for billing: the wholesale price is formed over shorter intervals and, since 1 October 2025, the time unit of the day-ahead market has been the quarter-hour.
• An indexed contract may apply the monthly average of the PUN Index GME by band, or hourly or quarter-hourly values: with the same spread, the cost changes with the withdrawal profile.
• In the Gradual Protection Service the three bands apply; in the free market, with second-generation (2G) smart meters, the contract may provide for bands other than F1, F2 and F3.
• Bands also matter beyond the energy price: charges for excess reactive energy are calculated band by band, and the minimum power factor at maximum load is required in F1 and F2 hours.

For a business: what to check

• Your own split — the bill shows consumption by band and the history of the last 18 months: calculate the F1, F2 and F3 shares of each withdrawal point before comparing offers.
• The profile, not the average — a plant on a single 8-to-17 shift withdraws almost everything in F1, a continuous cycle spreads consumption over all 168 hours of the week: the same price list produces different costs.
• Shifting loads — before reorganising shifts or cycles, measure the actual price difference between bands over recent months: it may be small, or the opposite of what is expected.
• Power — where there is no limiter, the power charge depends on the maximum withdrawal of the month, measured on the quarter-hour: staggering start-ups affects the bill even with the same kWh.
• Holidays — midweek national holidays are entirely F3: check that consumption on those days is assigned to the right band.

Ask the supplier for the available load curves, hourly or quarter-hourly, and for a simulation of the price by band and of the hourly price on the same data.

Checking the bands billed is part of the energy and gas invoice audit service by IPGS ENERGY. Request a review.

Sources

• ARERA — Glossary of the electricity bill, in force since 1 July 2025 (accessed 10 October 2026)
• ARERA — Cosa sono i prezzi per fasce? (accessed 10 October 2026)
• ARERA — TIV, text valid from 1 July 2026 (accessed 10 October 2026)
• ARERA — TIV, text valid from 1 April 2027 (accessed 10 October 2026)
• ARERA — Standard offers for end customers, PLACET (accessed 10 October 2026)
• ARERA — TIT 2024-2027, distribution tariffs (accessed 10 October 2026)
• GSE — Technical rules on imbalance charges, February 2026 (accessed 10 October 2026)