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3 June 2026 · 4 min read

Feed-in costs: what they are and how to keep them low

By Stefan Douw · Maker of Stekkerkompas

If you export solar power to the grid, many Dutch suppliers now charge for it: the feed-in cost (terugleverkosten). The more you export relative to what you use yourself, the higher it climbs.

Why you pay it

A supplier incurs costs when many customers export at once, especially on sunny moments with low or even negative prices. They pass those costs on through the feed-in charge.

Three ways it is charged

Suppliers use roughly three methods: a higher standing charge, tiers (an amount that rises the more you export), or an amount per exported kWh. On a fixed contract this can reach around 12 cents per kWh for someone who exports far more than they use.

Usually not on a dynamic contract

Most dynamic contracts charge no feed-in cost. You get the hourly price for what you export, which can be low or negative on sunny moments, but the separate charge is absent. That is one reason more people with solar choose a dynamic contract.

What changes after 2027

Net metering (saldering) ends on 1 January 2027. You can no longer offset exported power against your use. You keep the right to a reasonable feed-in payment: until 1 January 2030 at least half of your supplier's bare electricity rate. Using what you generate yourself becomes more important than exporting it.

How to keep feed-in costs low

Use more of your own solar when it is there: run heavy appliances during the day, or store your surplus in a home battery for the evening. And compare contracts on the feed-in cost, not just the bare rate. A contract without feed-in costs can come out better overall.

Run your own situation in the calculator. You see what more self-consumption and a battery add, and how the pre- and post-2027 regime changes your result.

What do feed-in costs add up to per year?

Exported per year: 1,500 kWh

€60 /yr

Low rate

€120 /yr

Typical rate

€180 /yr

High rate

Most dynamic contracts charge no feed-in cost. Rates differ per supplier; this is indicative.

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