Grid congestion payment: what it is and how to join

In February 2026 national grid operator TenneT warned that the electricity grid in the Flevopolder, Gelderland and Utrecht had reached its limits. Without extra measures, no new or heavier small-consumer connections would be possible from the summer onwards. Small consumers includes ordinary households.

The government, the grid operators and the provinces stepped in. The grid in the region was split into five congestion areas, capacity was freed up for housing and public services, and crucial grid expansions were brought forward. The result: in four of the five areas a connection stop has been prevented for now.

For a large part of the province of Utrecht the shortfall was too big. A temporary connection pause has applied there since 1 July 2026: applications for new or heavier connections go on a waiting list until capacity frees up. That affects households and businesses alike. Housing projects already planned do go ahead; in the province of Utrecht that concerns some 35,000 homes.

The pause is explicitly temporary, but without an end date. Every six months the grid operators reassess how much room there is; the next assessment is October 2026, after which it becomes clear whether capacity can be released per 1 January 2027.

Worth knowing if you want to upgrade your home: a heat pump or EV charger often fits within your existing connection. In that case there is nothing to apply for with the grid operator and the pause does not affect you. We always check this during the survey.

Besides building more grid, operators are betting on household flexibility. Devices that draw or store a lot of power, such as home batteries, EV chargers and heat pumps, can shift their use to quiet hours. In April 2026 grid operators Liander and Stedin signed a letter of intent with energy suppliers to purchase that flexibility from households.

For you it works like this: you sign your device up with a participating energy supplier. The supplier automatically steers it during peaks, and you receive a grid congestion payment in return. Taking part is voluntary, the steering happens in the background and in normal use you barely notice it. How that steering works technically is covered in our explainer on grid control.

There is no fixed national rate: the amount and payout differ per supplier and per contract. Expect a structural bonus on top of what smart steering already earns you, not a business model.

SolarFast partners with Frank Energie for dynamic contracts and smart steering. Frank takes part in the grid congestion programmes and already has the offer live for the congestion areas in the Flevopolder, Gelderland, Utrecht and North Brabant (East). With Frank Energie's postcode check you can see right away whether your address lies in a designated area.

For every home battery, EV charger or heat pump that takes part, Frank pays a grid congestion payment that is settled monthly on your bill. The app shows you daily what the steering earns you. Note: the number of participants per congestion area is capped, so do not wait too long to sign up if your address qualifies.

By its own account, Frank steers more than 30,000 customer devices. You are not tied down: there is no vendor lock-in and you remain free to switch energy suppliers. Already a Frank customer? Then you can activate congestion steering through the app or by e-mail as soon as you are approached.

The payment suddenly makes steerability a concrete purchase criterion. A home battery or EV charger that can be steered remotely can take part in these programmes; a device that cannot is left on the sidelines. That is why we install steerable brands as standard, such as our HyxiPower and Kstar batteries and compatible chargers.

Part of our service area, including Utrecht, De Ronde Venen and Almere, lies in or against the congestion areas. But a steerable setup pays off elsewhere too: the evening peak plays everywhere, and with the end of the net metering scheme, storing and using your own power smartly is becoming more important anyway.