Electricity head to head
By Linus Palmqvist, Head of Operations Reviewed by Simon Nilsson Last reviewed Iberdrola is the big incumbent with a long plan list and Spanish-first service. Octopus is the newer, digital, green-first retailer that English speakers tend to like. Here is how they differ for a home in Spain.
Compare the same service and contract questions for each provider. This is a fit comparison, not a price ranking. Check the exact address before choosing.
Both are free-market retailers, so neither is the regulated tariff and neither is cheaper by default. Iberdrola gives you a broad menu and a Spanish-speaking company behind it. Octopus gives you a simpler offer, green electricity, no permanence and a reputation for good English service.
If you are new to Spain and your Spanish is limited, Octopus is the easier day-to-day choice. If you are settled and want the incumbent's plan range, Iberdrola is a fine choice you will manage in Spanish.
Octopus is known among internationals for English-speaking service. That is a reputation, not a published hotline, so confirm the channel when you sign up. In practice it is the reason many newcomers pick it.
Iberdrola's household service is Spanish-first. English routes exist but the app, letters and bills are in Spanish. Fine if you can read a bill; not the easy option if you cannot.
Octopus has no regulated route at all. The Iberdrola group has one, Curenergía, which is the company for PVPC and the bono social discount. If you qualify for bono social, Octopus is out and Curenergía is the answer, not a normal Iberdrola plan.
With an active supply you do a holder change and the lights stay on. Iberdrola has a dedicated holder-change flow. Switching to Octopus is a retailer switch, and if the contract is still in the previous occupant's name you need the holder change as well; say so when you apply.
A cut supply is activated by the grid company for the address, not by either retailer. Have the CUPS and a meter reading ready. Check the exact address before planning around a date.
Green is the centre of the Octopus offer. Iberdrola sells plans with certified renewable origin too. Read the certification on the plan you would sign; that is what reaches your bill. Neither gives your flat its own cable, and the grid company stays the same.
Octopus asks you to switch with the contracted power the home already has, then change it after activation. Plan that second step if the previous occupant's setting looks wrong. With Iberdrola you change it from your online account. Either way, check what you run at once before lowering it.
Spain's household average, taxes included. It is context, not a quote from either provider.
0.2669 €/kWh
Figures as of . Source: Eurostat.
Household band DC (2,500-4,999 kWh/year), all taxes and levies included, second half of 2025. Dataset updated 12 Aug 2026.
We set up Octopus in English. Iberdrola is on this page so you can weigh it, but we do not arrange it.
For a supported provider at your address we handle the whole setup.
Still have questions?
Written by
Head of Operations at Settlewell
Linus moved from Sweden to Málaga in 2021 and set his own home up here, so most of this he has already done the hard way once. Before Settlewell he spent years at Workwide, the cross-border recruiter that has helped over 10,000 people into jobs abroad, latterly as its Head of Recruitment and Operations. He speaks Spanish, lives in Málaga with his partner, and spends his days on the phone to Spanish providers.
Compare the published contract and support routes. Provider terms can change; use the official sources for the offer you are considering.
