Households spend less on gas and electricity

Compared to last January, Dutch households paid less on average for their electricity and gas bills last month, Statistics Netherlands reported. On average households spent 3.8 percent less on electricity and gas than last year.

Energy prices fell mainly due to the lower variable supply tariffs. For gas, consumers paid an 18 percent lower tariff and for electricity, the variable supply tariff fell by 9 percent.

Overall, a household with an average consumption of 1,192 cubic meters of gas and 2,464 kWh of electricity spent 60 euros less compared to the same month one year ago.

A multi-person household in a large, old detached house spent on average 105 euros less while a single-person household in a small, new apartment paid on average only 35 euros less. The discrepancy is due to multiple factors such as degree of insulation, lifestyle, use of appliances and heating behavior.

2021 brings new tax measures for both gas and electricity, yet with virtually no effect on the energy bill per household. Tax rates on gas are set to increase by 34 percent while the electricity tax falls by 33 percent.

Energy consumption per household overall has been decreasing in the past couple of years due to better insulation, more efficient appliances and the use of solar panels. In the past year, the trend was temporarily broken due to more people working from home and therefore, consuming more energy.