Energy bill to be €100 cheaper this year on variable contracts

The energy bill for Dutch households with a variable energy contract will decrease by an average of 6.6 percent as of July 1. That amounts to an average decrease of around 101 euros annually, price comparison site Pricewise said on Thursday based on energy rates at Vattenfall and Eneco.

At the two energy suppliers, the variable gas tariffs fell the most with a decrease of 20.4 percent. Electricity prices will be 9.62 percent lower as of July 1.

Essent, the third largest energy supplier in the Netherlands, has not released its prices yet, but Pricewise expects that the rates there will also be considerably lower.

The rates are falling because of a decrease in the total energy demand caused by the mild winter and the coronavirus crisis. This decrease in demand resulted in oil prices plummeting.

This concerns the energy bills for households with a variable energy tariff. These rates change in January and July. Pricewise stressed that households who have a fixed gas and electricity tariff for one or more years usually come out with lower energy bills than those with variable contracts. A one year fixed contract is on average 49.61 euros cheaper per year than a variable energy contract.