The sun is shining: use electricity more cheaply

What is “The sun is shining”?

The optional tariff for sunny afternoons

“Sun is shining” rewards electricity consumption at times when a lot of solar energy is available locally.

From April to September, a discount window may open daily between 1 pm and 5 pm. If sufficient sunshine is forecast for your region, you will receive a discount on the energy tariff for grid usage during this time window. Anyone who shifts flexible consumers such as the washing machine, dishwasher, boiler, heat pump or electric vehicle charging to this period can benefit.

To the customer portal

Current discount windows

Check the day before whether a discount applies tomorrow.

On the interactive map, customers can see whether a discount window will open in their region the following day between 13:00 and 17:00.

The map shows the five BKW regions and the applicable discount level for the following day. This enables customers to plan the evening before whether they want to specifically shift flexible consumers such as washing machines, dishwashers, boilers, heat pumps, home storage systems or electric car charging into the time window.

Fixed time window, regional forecast, voluntary use

The tariff combines a fixed time window with a regional weather forecast. This keeps «Sonne scheint» easy to understand while still reflecting the conditions in your region.

Map unavailable

The interactive map is not available at the moment.

How the tariff works

Fixed time window, regional forecast, voluntary use

The tariff combines a fixed time window with a regional weather forecast. This keeps “Sun is shining” easy to understand while still reflecting the conditions in your region.

Whether a discount applies and how high it is will be determined on the previous day based on the sunshine forecast for your region and published on the BKW website and in the customer portal.

Know the time slot 01

April to September, 1 pm to 5 pm

During this fixed period, a discount may apply to the labour tariff for grid usage. The time window remains the same and does not change daily.

Check forecast 02

Your region decides

The forecast is based on weather data from MeteoSwiss. A representative weather station is used for each region. Whether the time window will be opened is shown the evening before.

Shift consumption 03

Use flexible consumers during the discount window

If a discount is announced, you can schedule appliances such as your washing machine, dishwasher, boiler, heat pump, home storage system or electric car charging within this time window.

Discount tiers

How the discount is calculated

Discounts are only available during the defined discount window and only if sufficient sunshine is forecast for your region.

If there is a lot of sunshine, the discount may be higher. If it is slightly cloudy, a lower discount may apply. If too little sunshine is expected, the normal tariff remains valid without a discount.

Little sunshine expected

No discount. The regular tariff remains valid.

Sunshine with light cloud cover

Reduced discount on grid usage during the time window from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. 20 percent discount on the energy tariff for grid usage.

Sunshine without clouds

High discount on grid usage during the time window from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Up to 40 percent discount on the energy tariff for grid usage.

Good to know

What you need to bear in mind

The tariff is especially worthwhile if you can shift enough of your consumption to the discount period.

Outside the discount periods, the working tariff for «Sonne scheint» is slightly higher than the standard flat-rate tariff. Anyone who uses hardly any electricity during the discounted window may end up paying more at the end of the year than with the flat-rate tariff.

Our customer service team will be happy to help you – even if you do not have access to myBKW or would like to register by phone.