The Dutch net-metering scheme (salderingsregeling) ends in 2027: what does that mean for a home battery?
Last updated: 26 September 2026 · Status of the regulations: 26 September 2026 · By Team Multi-Solar, home batteries since 2022, Rotterdam
On 1 January 2027, the Dutch net-metering scheme (salderingsregeling) ends in one go. From then on, you will no longer offset the solar power you export against the electricity you draw from the grid; instead, you will receive compensation from your supplier for each kWh exported. A home battery shifts your solar power from the afternoon to the evening, so you export less and buy in less. Whether that is worthwhile in your home depends on four questions that you can answer yourself below.
What changes on 1 January 2027?
| Period | What applies |
|---|---|
| Up to and including 31 December 2026 | Net metering: exported kWh are offset annually against kWh drawn from the grid. You only pay for the difference (or are compensated for it). |
| From 1 January 2027 | Net metering ends completely. For every kWh exported, your supplier pays a “reasonable compensation”. |
| 1 January 2027 to 1 January 2030 | By law, that compensation is at least 50 percent of the bare supply tariff you have agreed with your supplier. Bare means: excluding energy tax and VAT. |
| From 1 January 2030 | The statutory minimum lapses. Suppliers set the compensation themselves; the ACM (Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets) monitors whether it is reasonable. |
The scheme is laid down in the Dutch Act ending the net-metering scheme (Wet beëindiging salderingsregeling), which the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) passed on 17 December 2024. The step-by-step phase-out that was previously discussed in politics is off the table: it ends in one go. Why? On sunny afternoons, millions of panels export at the same time while demand is low. That puts a strain on the grid and pushes the electricity price at exactly those hours down to zero or below. The government wants households to use more of their own solar power.
What is the difference between feed-in compensation and feed-in costs?
Two terms that will appear side by side on your annual statement, and which are often confused.
Feed-in compensation is what you receive. For every kWh you supply to the grid, your supplier pays an amount per kWh. Until 2030, that is at least half of your bare supply tariff; exactly what your supplier pays is stated in your contract.
Feed-in costs are what you pay. Many suppliers charge solar panel owners costs for processing their exported electricity, for example an amount per exported kWh or a fixed amount per year. At the end of 2025, the ACM determined that these costs are not unreasonable compared to what suppliers actually incur, and advises suppliers to calculate them per kWh so that contracts become comparable.
An example without amounts: if you export 300 kWh in July, you receive 300 times the compensation, and you pay (if your supplier charges it) 300 times the feed-in costs. If, thanks to a battery, you export 150 kWh, both items are halved. You can read how to limit these costs in our article on avoiding feed-in costs.
Why does a home battery work differently after 2027?
Under the net-metering scheme, it did not matter when you used electricity. A kWh you exported at two o'clock in the afternoon was worth as much on the annual statement as a kWh you drew from the grid at eight o'clock in the evening. As a result, a battery made little sense for most households.
From 2027, an exported kWh is worth less than a kWh drawn from the grid: you receive the compensation, but when you draw from the grid you pay the full tariff including tax and VAT. Every kWh that you do not export but use yourself in the evening therefore saves the difference between the two.
| Without battery | With battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoon (panels generate more than you use) | Surplus goes to the grid in exchange for the compensation | Surplus charges the battery |
| Evening (panels generate nothing) | You buy electricity at the full tariff | You use the battery first, and only then the grid |
How much you can shift this way depends on your consumption, the output of your panels and the capacity of the battery. You can read which capacity suits your home in our article on how many kWh of home battery you need.
When does a home battery make sense? The four questions
Answer these four questions with yes or no. The more yeses, the stronger the reason to install a battery.
- Do you export a lot of kWh in summer? Look at “exported” on your annual statement. If there is a sizeable number there, there is a lot of electricity to shift.
- Is your evening consumption high? Cooking on induction, a heat pump, washing machine and dryer after work, a car on the charger: that is exactly the consumption that a battery can power from your own solar electricity.
- Do you have a dynamic energy contract, or are you considering one? Then the battery can also charge during cheap hours and supply during expensive hours, independently of your panels. That way it also earns its place in winter.
- Does your supplier charge feed-in costs? Then every kWh you do not export saves you twice over: no lower compensation and no costs.
With zero or one yes, you can safely wait; solar panels remain cost-effective even without a battery because you cover daytime consumption directly with your own electricity. With three or four yeses, the question is mainly which battery.
How do you calculate it yourself?
We deliberately do not state any amounts or payback periods: they differ per household, contract and year. You can, however, apply the method yourself using your own annual statement.
- Note from your annual statement: kWh supplied (drawn from the grid), kWh exported, your supply tariff per kWh including tax and VAT, and the feed-in compensation and any feed-in costs per kWh that your supplier will apply from 2027.
- Calculate what an exported kWh costs you: supply tariff minus feed-in compensation, plus feed-in costs. That is the amount you save per kWh if you use that kWh yourself in the evening instead of exporting it.
- Determine the maximum number of kWh you can shift: that is never more than your exported amount, and also never more than the capacity of the battery multiplied by the number of times per year it is fully charged and discharged. A 5 kWh battery that is fully charged and discharged once a day on 250 days a year shifts a maximum of 1,250 kWh.
- Multiply the amount from step 2 by the number of kWh from step 3. That is your maximum annual benefit from self-consumption. If you have a dynamic contract, charging during cheap hours comes on top of that, but that varies per year.
- Compare that with the purchase price of the battery you are considering, and take the warranty period into account.
We do not give financial advice; compensation and costs differ per supplier and contract. Check the current terms and conditions of your own supplier.
Plug-in or fixed home battery as the answer to 2027?
If you want to do something before 2027, you have two routes.
| Plug-in home battery (plug & play) | Fixed home battery | |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Yourself, plug into an earthed socket, ready the same day | By an installer, permanently connected to the electrical panel, installation via a quote |
| Power to your home | Maximum 800 W via the socket; more on a dedicated circuit | Several kW, 6 kW or more with larger systems |
| Suits | Shifting solar power to the evening, covering base load, starting small | Heat pump or induction on your own electricity, backup power via a changeover switch |
You hang a plug-in home battery such as the Marstek Venus E 3.0 on the wall yourself, and it supplies up to 800 W to your home via the socket; 2,500 W on a dedicated circuit. A fixed battery such as the Marstek Venus X charges and supplies at 6 kW and, in the event of a power cut, provides backup power via a changeover switch, on the circuits chosen during installation. You can read the full difference in our article plug-in or fixed home battery. Then take a look at the plug & play home batteries or the fixed home batteries, or go to the complete overview: buy a home battery.
Frequently asked questions
How much will I receive for exported electricity after 2027?
Until 1 January 2030, at least 50 percent of the bare supply tariff stated in your contract, i.e. excluding energy tax and VAT. Your supplier determines the exact amount and it is stated in your contract. From 2030, that minimum lapses.
Are solar panels still worthwhile without net metering?
Yes. Every kWh you use directly during the day is a kWh you do not have to buy; that benefit remains in full. Only the part you export becomes less valuable. The more you use yourself, the less the end of net metering affects you.
Should I buy a home battery before 2027?
Not necessarily. The battery only really starts to pay off from 1 January 2027, because until then net metering cancels out the difference between afternoon and evening. If you do order earlier, you can use 2026 to get the settings right and avoid the rush around the turn of the year.
Can the net-metering scheme still be reversed?
The act has been passed and published; a new act would be needed to amend it. As of the reference date of this article (26 September 2026), there is no proposal to do so. We will update this article if that changes.
What is the difference between feed-in compensation and feed-in costs?
The compensation is what you receive per exported kWh, the costs are what you pay to be allowed to export. Both will appear on your annual statement from 2027 and both become smaller if you export less.
Not sure which battery suits your consumption? Request a no-obligation quote and we will do the calculations based on your own annual statement.
Sources
- Dutch Government (Rijksoverheid), “Salderingsregeling stopt in 2027” (consulted 26 September 2026)
- Wet beëindiging salderingsregeling (36.611), passed by the Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) on 17 December 2024, in force on 1 January 2027
- ACM, “Terugleverkosten zonnestroom niet onredelijk, contracten wel moeilijk te vergelijken” (17 December 2025)
- Milieu Centraal, “Salderingsregeling voor zonnepanelen” (page updated 10 September 2026)
- Product data for Marstek Venus E 3.0 and Venus X: manufacturer documentation and product pages on multi-solar.nl