Avoiding feed-in costs with a home battery: what they are and how it works
Last updated: 26 September 2026 · Supplier information as of: 26 September 2026 · By Team Multi-Solar, home batteries since 2022, Rotterdam
Feed-in costs (terugleverkosten) are costs that energy suppliers in the Netherlands charge for the solar power you feed back to the grid. A home battery stores that surplus during the day and supplies it to your home in the evening, so you feed back less and therefore pay less of those costs. Avoiding them completely is rarely possible in summer; reducing them considerably is. Below you can read how the costs work, how to see in your own contract what your supplier does, and what exactly a battery solves.
What are feed-in costs?
Feed-in costs are an amount your supplier charges for electricity you feed back to the grid: per kWh fed back, or as a fixed amount per year that depends on how much you feed back. They are separate from the feed-in compensation (terugleververgoeding), which you actually receive per kWh fed back. According to the Dutch government (Rijksoverheid), they may only be costs the supplier incurs to process the electricity you feed back, and the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) supervises this.
Why do suppliers charge feed-in costs?
On sunny afternoons, hundreds of thousands of roofs feed electricity back at the same time, while demand is low. The electricity price on the wholesale market then drops to zero or below. Your supplier still has to take that electricity and get rid of it, and on top of that pays so-called imbalance costs because feed-in is difficult to predict. In December 2025, the ACM investigated what suppliers actually spend and concluded that the feed-in costs charged are not unreasonable, but that contracts are difficult to compare. The ACM therefore advises suppliers to calculate the costs per kWh.
Which energy suppliers charge feed-in costs? (as of 26 September 2026)
Suppliers adjust this regularly, so always check your own tariff sheet. The Dutch consumers' association (Consumentenbond) keeps an overview (updated 22 January 2026) and distinguishes three methods.
| Model | How to recognise it on your bill or tariff sheet | Examples (Consumentenbond, 22-01-2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Per kWh | A rate “terugleverkosten” or “kosten teruglevering” (feed-in costs) per kWh fed back | Various suppliers; see the Consumentenbond overview |
| Tier (staffel) or fixed amount | A fixed amount per month or year, depending on which tier your feed-in falls into | Various suppliers; see the Consumentenbond overview |
| Included in the rate | No separate item; the costs are included in the supply rate or in a lower compensation | ANWB Energie, EnergyZero, HalloStroom, Mijndomein, NextEnergy, Pure Energie, Tibber |
Since 1 January 2026, feed-in costs may also be included in the ACM model contract, the standard contract that every supplier must offer. Switching to a model contract is therefore not automatically a way to avoid them; looking at your supplier's model is.
Contract check: how do you see what your supplier does?
The ACM puts it simply: your contract states whether your supplier charges feed-in costs and how high they are. Here is how to find it in four steps.
- Open your tariff sheet (with your contract or in the app) and search for “terugleverkosten”, “kosten teruglevering” or “teruglevering” (feed-in). If there is nothing, look at the feed-in compensation: sometimes the costs are included in it.
- Take your annual energy statement and note the number of kWh fed back. With a dual-rate meter there are two figures (normal and off-peak); add them together.
- Work out the model. Per kWh: kWh fed back × rate. Tier: see which tier your feed-in falls into and which amount goes with it. Watch the threshold: staying just below a tier threshold can sometimes save a whole step.
- When comparing a new contract, look not only at the supply rate, but also at the feed-in cost model and the feed-in compensation. From 2027, these two items carry more weight than they do now.
How does a home battery limit feed-in costs?
A home battery does not change the rate, but it does change the number of kWh it is charged on. This is how a sunny day goes with a plug-in home battery such as the Marstek Venus E 3.0:
- The P1 meter measures. The CT003 P1 meter (you select it when ordering) sits on the P1 port of your smart meter and sees every second whether you are drawing from or feeding back to the grid.
- As soon as the meter runs backwards, the battery charges. In the app this is called the “zero feed-in” or self-consumption mode: the battery charges exactly the surplus, so the meter stays at zero instead of counting backwards.
- Once the battery is full, the rest still goes to the grid. On that, you do pay feed-in costs and receive the compensation.
- In the evening, the battery supplies power. The P1 meter sees your consumption rise and the battery supplies exactly that consumption, up to 800 W via the wall socket. Whatever more your home demands comes from the grid.
The result: the kWh fed back on your annual energy statement drop by roughly the amount the battery stores each day and releases again in the evening. How much that is depends on the capacity; how to choose it is explained in how many kWh of home battery you need.
To be honest: when does a battery not solve it completely?
A battery does not prevent all feed-in costs. In June and July, on a good day your panels generate more than your battery can store and your home can use. The calculation for such a day:
daily yield − daytime consumption − battery capacity = what you still feed back
A fictitious example: 20 kWh yield on a sunny June day, 3 kWh consumption during the day, a 5 kWh battery. Then 12 kWh still goes to the grid. In April or September the yield may be 10 kWh, leaving 2 kWh. Over a whole year, it is mainly the number of summer days that determines how much feed-in remains.
If you want to reduce that further, there are three routes: a larger or expanded battery (for example an expansion module), shifting consumption to the afternoon, or a system with more charging power on a dedicated circuit, such as the Anker SOLIX Solarbank Max AC, which charges at 3,500 W on a dedicated circuit. For each route, first calculate how many kWh you really shift with it; we deliberately do not give percentages, because they differ per roof and per household.
What other ways are there to limit feed-in costs?
Even without a battery, or alongside one, you can reduce feed-in by moving consumption to the sunny hours.
- Run the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer during the day, using the timer or a smart plug.
- Put the boiler or the heat pump for hot water on an afternoon schedule.
- Charge the electric car during the day on solar power instead of at night.
- Consider a dynamic contract: on sunny afternoons the electricity price is low and sometimes negative, and some dynamic suppliers do not charge separate feed-in costs.
- As a last option: have an installer limit the inverter, so that it feeds back less. This costs yield and only makes sense if the costs are higher than the compensation.
What happens to feed-in costs after 2027?
From 1 January 2027, the Dutch net-metering scheme (salderingsregeling) ends. Electricity fed back will then no longer be offset against your consumption; you will receive a compensation of at least 50 percent of the bare supply rate (until 2030), and on top of that pay any feed-in costs. Every kWh fed back then counts twice: a lower return and possibly costs. As a result, from 2027 it pays off more to limit feed-in. Exactly what changes is explained in our article on the end of the Dutch net-metering scheme in 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Does a home battery prevent all feed-in costs?
No. On sunny summer days, the yield is greater than your battery and your home can absorb together; whatever is left goes to the grid. A battery considerably reduces the number of kWh fed back, but rarely brings it down to zero.
Is an energy supplier allowed to charge feed-in costs?
Yes, in the Netherlands. The Dutch government states that they may only be costs for processing the electricity you feed back, and the ACM supervises this. In December 2025, the ACM concluded that the costs charged are not unreasonable.
What is a tier (staffel) in feed-in costs?
A tier is a range of kWh fed back per year that comes with a fixed amount. If you feed back more, you fall into a higher tier with a higher amount. With a battery, you can sometimes end up one tier lower.
Does my supplier also charge costs if I have a battery?
Yes, on the kWh you still feed back despite the battery. The battery does not change the rate, only the number of kWh. Check in your battery's app how much you still feed back; most apps show this per day.
What happens to feed-in costs after 2027?
They remain. Because net metering ends, every kWh fed back carries more weight from 2027: you receive a lower compensation than the rate you pay yourself, plus any costs.
Want to connect a plug-in home battery yourself? See the plug & play home batteries under buy a plug-in home battery. Prefer a fixed battery with more power? See the fixed home batteries or request a quote for installation. The complete overview can be found under buy a home battery.
Sources
- Rijksoverheid (Dutch government), “Salderingsregeling stopt in 2027” (net-metering scheme ends in 2027) (consulted 26 September 2026): feed-in costs may only be processing costs; the ACM supervises
- ACM ConsuWijzer, “Energie opwekken en terugleveren” (generating and feeding back energy) (consulted 26 September 2026)
- ACM, “ACM stelt nieuwe modelcontracten vast” (ACM adopts new model contracts) (17 December 2025): feed-in costs included in the model contract as of 1 January 2026
- ACM, “Terugleverkosten zonnestroom niet onredelijk, contracten wel moeilijk te vergelijken” (feed-in costs for solar power not unreasonable, but contracts difficult to compare) (17 December 2025)
- Consumentenbond, “Terugleverkosten” (feed-in costs) (updated 22 January 2026): calculation models and suppliers without a separate item
- Product data Marstek Venus E 3.0, CT003 P1 meter and Anker SOLIX Solarbank Max AC: manufacturer documentation and product pages on multi-solar.nl (26 September 2026)