# Net metering ends 1 January 2027 for solar panel owners

> From 1 January 2027 households with solar panels pay the full tariff on all power they draw from the grid. The consumer watchdog ACM now shows export charges per supplier in its monthly Energiemonitor.

Economy · published 2026-11-12 14:20 · https://nlnow.nl/a/net-metering-ends-1-january-2027-for-solar-panel-owners/

The end of the net metering scheme (salderingsregeling) on 1 January 2027 will have a considerable financial impact on households with solar panels, according to the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). It advises these households to check whether their current energy contract still suits them.

From that date, households with solar panels pay the full tariff, including energy tax, for all electricity they take from the grid. They can no longer offset the power they feed back in. For that power they receive a feed-in payment (terugleververgoeding) from their supplier. It is usually lower than the supply tariff, but by law it must be at least 50% of the bare supply tariff until and including 31 December 2029.

The ACM's monthly Energiemonitor now also shows feed-in costs (terugleverkosten) at different suppliers. It shows large differences between contracts and suppliers, so comparing can pay off, the ACM says. Feed-in costs stabilised and fell slightly at the end of last year. Since 2025 suppliers have passed all costs of solar power on only to customers with solar panels.

The ACM expects feed-in costs to fall after 1 January 2027, because suppliers will no longer incur costs for net metering.

They will still have other costs for these households, such as balancing the grid when solar output is unexpectedly higher or lower.

The end of net metering can make a home battery more attractive for some households, the ACM says. At the end of October about 89,000 home batteries of households and businesses were registered with the grid operators. Registered capacity was about 1.1 GW, against 0.3 GW a year earlier.

Batteries above 15 kW are 7% of registrations but about half of the capacity. The ACM also says unreliable sellers exploit the uncertainty with misleading sales pitches, sometimes selling home batteries costing more than €20,000. On 2 November it started the campaign 'Stop het gesprek. Start je eigen check.' (Stop the conversation. Start your own check). It warns about sellers who approach people unexpectedly at the door or by phone and pressure them into expensive purchases such as a home battery, heat pump or sustainability advice.

**Why it matters**

- From 1 January 2027 households with solar panels pay the full tariff, including energy tax, for all electricity they take from the grid.
- They can no longer offset the power they feed back in.
- The export tariff (terugleververgoeding) from the supplier is usually lower than the supply tariff. By law it must be at least 50% of the bare supply tariff up to and including 31 December 2029.

## Home batteries

So far in 2026 there have been just over 400 hours with negative electricity prices, the ACM's Energiemonitor shows. That is fewer than in the same period of 2025 and 2024. The ACM names the growth in the number of batteries, including home batteries, as a possible explanation.

The Energiemonitor also shows that the high gas price feeds through into the electricity price, the ACM says.

**What this means for you**

- With a fixed-rate contract (vast tarief) the supplier may not change your export tariff (terugleververgoeding). With a variable rate (variabel tarief) it can change it, often every 3 months, if the contract says so and you get at least 1 month's notice.
- With a time-of-use tariff (dynamisch tarief) the export tariff follows the current power price and can differ per quarter-hour or hour.
- After 1 January 2027 you still pay export charges (terugleverkosten), which can be higher than the payment for the power you feed back.
- A contract that runs past 1 January 2027 may still give you net metering (salderen) under its own terms. If the supplier changes the terms of such a contract, you can switch supplier at no cost, but only if your current terms clearly allowed that change.
Source: ACM ConsuWijzer: salderen en terugleveren (https://consument.acm.nl/elektriciteit-en-gas/duurzame-energie/wat-is-salderen), read 2026-11-12

## Background

- **ACM (Autoriteit Consument & Markt)**: The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, the independent regulator that enforces competition law and consumer protection rules. It also regulates sectors such as energy, telecoms, transport and postal services.
- **salderingsregeling**: The salderingsregeling (net metering scheme) is a Dutch arrangement for households with solar panels. Under it, the electricity they feed back into the grid is offset against the electricity they take from the grid over the billing period, so the energy bill is based on the net amount. It matters because it has shaped the financial case for home solar panels in the Netherlands, and it is set to end on 1 January 2027.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/