Update Schedule
How often is the energy price data updated?
Energy Prices & Markets data is updated monthly. During the last week of each month, price data is collected from governmental agencies and statistical surveys. At the beginning of the following month, all collected data is processed, assessed, and made available to subscribers.
The full release schedule, including specific publication dates for each month, is available at the Intratec Data Update Schedule.
Why the cycle is monthly, and what causes an official source to lag its own reporting calendar, is set out in How often are assessments published, and when released? and When is data collected, and what causes reporting lag? on our methodology site.
When in the month are new reports published?
New Energy Prices & Markets reports are published at the beginning of each month, with the exact release day depending on your subscription plan:
Earlier access is one of the meaningful differentiators when you evaluate a plan upgrade, particularly for teams that need price data for time-sensitive procurement or reporting cycles.
Business days exclude weekends and public holidays, so the calendar date varies month to month.
Can I use this data as a real-time price feed?
No — Energy Prices & Markets data is not a real-time price feed and should not be used as one. Reports are published once per month, and the data reflects prices assessed during the last week of the prior month. Used in isolation, monthly data may not capture sharp price movements that occur within a given month, particularly during periods of high market volatility.
The data is designed for procurement benchmarking, strategic planning, and market trend analysis — use cases where monthly granularity is appropriate. If you require intraday or daily price signals, a dedicated real-time market data service is better suited for that purpose.
Where a monthly assessment is and is not an appropriate reference is discussed in Are the prices suitable as a sole contract reference? on our methodology site.
Are previously published values ever revised?
Yes. The most recent months in a series may publish as provisional (Preliminary) figures and are replaced by consolidated Final figures as official statistics arrive. Forecast values also change as new market fundamentals are incorporated.
This balances timeliness with accuracy: you get early access to recent data while the series converges toward confirmed figures.
What triggers a revision, and where every change is announced, is documented in What causes a published number to be revised? and Where are changes to published data announced? on our methodology site.
What does a "Preliminary" value mean in a report?
A Preliminary value (labeled P in the data) is a model-derived estimate published when official government statistics for that period have not yet been released. Rather than leaving the data point blank while waiting, we publish an estimate and label it as one.
If a government agency typically publishes natural gas price statistics with a two-month lag, the two most recent months in the series would carry Preliminary status until the official data arrives.
The full definition of each status label is set out in What do the Final, Preliminary, and Forecast labels mean? on our methodology site.
What does a "Forecast" status mean for a data point?
A Forecast value (labeled F in the data) is a forward-looking projection for a future period, not a confirmed or measured price. It supports planning and scenario analysis, and carries the uncertainty inherent in any projection.
What your plan includes: Forecast (F) values are available on the Pro, Advanced, and Ultimate plans.
How forecasts are produced, and which datasets carry them, is covered in Which datasets include forecasts, and how far ahead? and How are forecasts produced in plain terms? on our methodology site.
When does a Preliminary value become a Final value?
As soon as the official statistics for that period are released and processed. There is no fixed waiting period — the transition depends on when each country's statistical agency publishes, which varies by country and commodity. The status updates automatically in subsequent monthly reports.
What moves a figure from one label to the next is documented in What moves a figure from Preliminary to Final? on our methodology site.
How will I know when a new report is available?
Each plan has a predictable release day each month — the 3rd business day for Advanced and Ultimate, the 5th for Pro, and the 8th for Starter. The full monthly release calendar is published in the Intratec Data Update Schedule, which you can reference to plan ahead.
How far in advance are methodology changes announced?
All methodology changes — including improvements to calculation methods and updates to the data sources used for assessments — are reported monthly in the Intratec Release Notes, published at https://medium.com/intratec-release-notes.
What affects your subscription: if a change leads to a material decrease in coverage or functionality, we may compensate with additional coverage or a plan upgrade at no additional cost, in line with the Price Adjustment Policy.
The review triggers, and the transition process before a revised method takes effect, are described in On what schedule is the methodology reviewed? on our methodology site.