Prague, October, 22 – Saving customers' money, accelerating coal-fired power plants shutdown, and bringing households closer to the energy future. Those are all impacts of the so-called “spot” energy tariffs (based on prices that dynamically change throughout the day). In the autumn of 2022, the energy revolutionaries at Czech startup Delta Green became one of the first in their home market to offer exclusively spot pricing. They succeeded in dispelling fears and myths associated with spot tariffs, and, today, they rank among the leading European energy innovators. Here is their story.
Two years ago, Delta Green embarked on a journey toward smarter, cheaper, and more sustainable energy, with the vision of becoming a driving force of innovation in household energy. Around the same time, electricity prices skyrocketed, and completely transformed the way thousands of customers consumed electricity. The fear of switching household pricing tariffs from fixed to spot was massive and unprecedented.
"Today, data show that our decision to switch customers from fixed to dynamic pricing was the right one," reflects co-owner and Chief Product Officer at Delta Green, Jan Hicl. He recalls the autumn of 2022 as a period when they had to debunk numerous myths and devote most of their efforts to explaining that their move was the best possible option.
"Data show that over the past year, spot tariffs have been by more than 50 percent more advantageous than fixed rates. But two years ago, these numbers were not available; people did not understand spot pricing, and the general atmosphere was completely different from today," explains Hicl adding: "Looking back, we calculated that if our customers had stayed on fixed prices back then, they would have paid twice as much for the same consumption compared to spot pricing.” Unlike major electricity suppliers in the Czech Republics, Delta Green didn't require financial support from the state during the energy crisis.
In the spring 2024, the company launched a system that plans electricity consumption for users ahead to ensure they pay as little as possible without restricting household operations. This platform was named Proteus.
"Proteus helps our customers maximize the benefits of spot tariffs, making electricity even cheaper for them. It's also one of the biggest proofs that spot tariffs have not impact on your day-to-day family and household electricity consumption habits," adds Jan Hicl. The launch of Proteus thus dispelled another major myth associated with spot pricing. Current results show that users save money while doubling their earnings from selling electricity. At this moment, the number of households users approaches one thousand and the demand is growing.
Today, Delta Green is sprinting toward fulfilling its vision of becoming a European leader in households electricity consumption. Their business plans are supported by three significant investment funds. By the end of this year, the company plans to launch the long-awaited flexibility aggregation for households.
"We are nearing our goal to involve households in balancing the grid and allowing them to receive financial rewards for their consumption. We already have a long waiting list of people interested in the service," outlines plans for the coming months Jan Hicl. "Flexible energy consumption can help shut down coal-fired power plants sooner, which is crucial for the climate.Without spot tariffs, this would be very difficult," concludes Hicl.
Delta Green is a Czech energy company that empowers households to utilize electricity efficiently and responsibly. Beyond energy provision, it offers intelligent, automated solutions for managing electricity consumption and production. Originally established in 2008 as Nano Green under the Nano Energies group, the company rebranded as Delta Green in 2024. It is jointly owned by David Brozik, Prokop Cech, Lukas Benes and Jan Hicl.