Do you have solar panels and a dynamic energy contract? Then you may be wondering how salderen works. In this article, we explain what salderen is, how it works with a dynamic contract, and what will change as of January 1, 2027.
What is salderen?
Salderen is a net metering scheme introduced by the Dutch government to encourage households to purchase solar panels. Thanks to this scheme, you can offset the electricity you feed back into the grid over the course of a year against the electricity you consume during that same year.
As a result, you only pay for the difference between your total consumption and total electricity fed back into the grid. The scheme has enabled solar panels to pay for themselves more quickly in recent years.
How does net metering work with a dynamic contract?
You can use salderen with a dynamic energy contract through December 31, 2026.
The difference compared with a fixed or variable contract is that the base electricity price changes every hour with a dynamic contract. That is why your energy bill consists of different components:
- Supply costs: are calculated based on the hourly prices at which you consumed or fed electricity back into the grid.
- Energy tax and VAT: are netted annually in accordance with the statutory net metering scheme.
- Grid management costs and fixed costs: are separate from the net metering scheme.
A simple example
Suppose that in one year you:
- consume 4,000 kWh of electricity;
- feed 3,000 kWh back into the grid with your solar panels.
You can then net 3,000 kWh. Ultimately, you only pay energy tax on the remaining 1,000 kWh of consumption.
With a dynamic contract, supply costs are calculated based on the actual hourly prices at which you consumed electricity and fed it back into the grid. Consumption and feeding electricity back into the grid almost always happen at different times, so the average rates are never the same either.
As a result, the calculation may look different from that of a fixed energy contract, while you still benefit from salderen.
Why is salderen ending in 2027?
As of January 1, 2027, salderen will end completely. From that point on, you will no longer be able to offset electricity fed back into the grid against your own consumption. You will still receive a feed-in compensation from your energy supplier for every kWh you feed back into the grid. Until 2030, this compensation must be at least 50% of the base supply rate.
The government has several reasons for this:
- Salderen has achieved its original objective: solar panels have since become much cheaper and more popular.
- Net metering costs the government a significant amount of tax revenue.
- The costs of the scheme are ultimately distributed across all energy bills, including those of households without solar panels.
- The electricity grid is becoming overloaded more frequently because many households feed solar power back into the grid at the same time. The government therefore wants to encourage people to use as much of the electricity they generate themselves as possible.
What does this mean for you?
You will then no longer be able to offset the electricity you feed back into the grid against the electricity you consume.
In the example mentioned earlier, starting in 2027 you will pay energy tax on the full 4,000 kWh.
At NextEnergy, the average supply costs for consumption and feeding electricity back into the grid are already calculated separately based on the dynamic hourly prices. Therefore, the biggest change starting in 2027 will concern energy tax and VAT: electricity fed back into the grid will no longer be offset against your consumption for these charges either.
Starting in 2027, you will still receive compensation for every kWh you feed back into the grid. The value of the electricity you feed back remains based on the prices at the times when you feed electricity back into the grid. NextEnergy then processes this as a monthly average feed-in compensation.
This compensation:
- may not be negative for the month;
- must be at least 50% of the base supply rate through 2030.
Increase self-consumption
Starting in 2027, it will therefore become more financially attractive to use as much of your own solar power directly as possible.
For example:
- run the washing machine or dishwasher during the day;
- charge your electric car when the sun is shining;
- run a heat pump or boiler during the day;
- store energy in a home battery.
The less electricity you have to feed back into the grid, the more benefit you get from your solar panels.
Why is a home battery particularly interesting now?
Now that salderen is disappearing, it is becoming increasingly valuable to store self-generated electricity instead of feeding it back into the grid immediately.
With a home battery, you can:
- use solar power generated during the day in the evening or at night;
- purchase less electricity when prices are high;
- become less dependent on feed-in compensation;
- use more of your own sustainable energy.
Do you have a dynamic energy contract? A smart home battery can also automatically charge when the electricity price is low or even negative and discharge when electricity is expensive. This way, you benefit not only from your solar panels, but also from price fluctuations in the energy market.
For many households, the abolition of salderen is therefore a logical time to consider energy storage.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use net metering in 2026 with a dynamic contract?
Yes. Through December 31, 2026, salderen also applies to dynamic energy contracts.
Can I still feed electricity back into the grid starting in 2027?
Yes. You can continue feeding electricity back into the grid as usual. You will receive feed-in compensation from your energy supplier for this, but you will no longer be able to net this electricity against your own consumption.
Will solar panels still be worthwhile after 2027?
Yes. Solar panels will remain a good investment, especially when you use or store a large portion of the electricity they generate yourself.
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