Dutch homeowners’ group warns of higher bills under proposed grid charges

The Netherlands’ Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has proposed time-dependent electricity grid tariffs for households and businesses with small grid connections, Dutch news agency ANP reported on 8 October. The aim is to ease pressure on the congested electricity network. [1]

ANP said household grid charges would depend more on usage. The proposal is intended to encourage people to shift demand to quieter times, for example by charging electric cars when the grid is less busy. Any increase in available capacity is an aim of the proposal, not a measured result. [1]

The ANP report does not give a timetable, a detailed tariff structure or estimates of what households and small businesses might pay. [1]

Update

Energie-Nederland says it will work constructively on Dutch regulator ACM’s proposal for time-dependent electricity network charges, but insists that any introduction must be understandable and affordable. The industry association’s response, reported by ANP on 8 October, concerns a proposal covering households and small businesses. [2]

Not every household can easily shift when it uses electricity, the association says. It wants the effects on energy bills monitored closely and changes made where needed. [2]

The association believes smarter use of the grid could help share network costs more fairly and ease congestion. [2]

Update

Dutch homeowners’ group VEH has warned that proposed time-dependent electricity grid charges could raise bills for households unable to move their power use to quieter periods. People who can change when they use electricity can limit their costs, it says, but many homeowners cannot do so — for example, because they do not have smart appliances. The group fears that large numbers of households could pay more. [3]