For some families, the energy bill is currently going up. They try to save where possible. For example, by running the washing machine more often if a cheaper off-peak rate applies. But what is the difference between single and double price? And how much money can you save?

There are various actors active in the Dutch energy market that determine the price of electricity. So it’s not just the energy company that pays the energy bill. This article is about the electricity bill.

This account was created by players such as electricity producers, suppliers, network operators, and metering companies. “The double tariff comes from a time when those parties didn’t exist yet, and only one company was responsible for everything: production, transportation and delivery,” says Michael Mulder, professor of energy economics at the University of Groningen. “There was only one power company. To prevent peak moments on the power grid, the so-called off-peak and off-peak tariffs were introduced.”

The Dutch were to be encouraged by lower off-peak prices to only operate certain devices in the evening or on the weekend, for example. This double rate still exists today. If you have a smart meter at home, you will most likely have a rate multiplier. There are also single rate families. In this case, you will have the same rate of electricity at any time of the day.

When does the off-peak rate apply?

“This varies from region to region,” says Joris Kerkhof, director of energy at Independer. In most places in the Netherlands, the off-peak rate is applied from 11 pm to 7 am, on weekends and public holidays. “Except in North Brabant and Limburg and in some places around Leiden. The off-peak rate starts there at 9pm. This is because the off-peak rate comes from the network operators. These are independent parties that regulate the transmission of electricity. The regions differ. From the past, they use different times in these regions. “.

Mulder: “Off-peak and off-peak tariffs only apply to transportation. Then there are other costs on top, like delivery costs and energy production costs. We used to be more concerned with what was the best time, say, a washing machine. Now prices have been paid. Together. You now have no incentive to play with the moment of your use.”

What is the difference in off-peak price per month?

Kerkhove calculates in the tables below the difference that could be in your energy bill for each month.

“In this we look at model contract rates, so this doesn’t apply to people who are now in Eneco and Vattenfall. You can see that the difference isn’t very big. Although of course every saving is included at the moment.”

Eneco Energy Prices.

Energy prices Fatenfal.

Work for dynamic rates

“Actually, it’s not that time anymore,” Mulder says. “On the other hand, we have to move towards dynamic rates. The load on the electricity grid is increasing exponentially. For example, because people are switching to heat pumps and solar panels. If the sun is shining and a street of homes using solar panels have little power at that time, There will be a lot of pressure on Grid.”

“But also if people will soon be charging their electric car at the same time after work, or if the heat pumps have to work hard on cold days. So it would be better to leave the price dependent on the load on the grid, it doesn’t make sense to stick to specific hours.”

If you want to switch from single to double priced or vice versa, Kerkhof advises contacting your supplier first. “Think of the impact,” he says. “Check if you can switch. For example, you may be tied to a contract and this will cause you to deviate from your contract. Do you then receive a new price or do you keep the old price? And does the supplier charge a fine for canceling your contract earlier? Check it out. before the switch.