Homes with solar panels are being charged more for excess electricity in new contracts

Households with solar panels that are agreeing a new energy contract this week will have to pay more to return electricity to the electricity grid. This was reported by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). Households will pay around 10 percent more to return of electricity to the grid than they would have had to pay last month.

The ACM also calculated that the prices for new permanent contracts for electricity and gas rose by 2.5 percent in March. The regulator added that gas prices on the wholesale market had risen in early February but have since fallen sharply.

The regulator has also noted that 11 energy suppliers are charging households with solar panels more to return excess electricity than they are receiving for the electricity that they generate.

These households can currently offset their electricity consumption against the electricity they supply back to the grid. But this scheme will end from the start of 2027. The ACM would not mention the names of the energy suppliers in question.

The energy supply companies decide the costs to return electricity and the compensation that homes get for the electricity they generate. The costs are allowed to be higher than the compensation if this does not cause unfair fees.

The ACM is investigating the ways in which suppliers process the costs of solar panels in their rates. The regulator expects to complete this investigation in a few months.

Some energy suppliers are already offering energy contracts that run till after January 1, 2027, the ACM reported. The regulator is urging consumers to compare contracts of various suppliers before agreeing to a contract.