Joining grid control: where is it available and how do you sign up?

Whether you can take part comes down to four things. Run through them before reading on:

1. Postcode and neighbourhood: your address is in an area where the programme runs.

2. Device: you have a home charger, a home battery or a hybrid heat pump.

3. Supplier: your energy supplier takes part in grid control.

4. Compatibility: your device can be steered remotely, sometimes via a smart meter or a software update.

If all four are green, there is a good chance you can join. If one is missing, it may still happen later: grid operators keep expanding the area and the list of suppliers step by step.

It runs in selected neighbourhoods and postcodes in Gelderland, Utrecht, parts of the Flevopolder and North Brabant. These are areas where the grid is busiest in the evening, mainly in winter between 4 pm and 9 pm. For chargers a narrower window is often used, from 5 pm to 9 pm.

Urgency differs per region. In April 2026 it became public that part of the province of Utrecht faces a connection pause; in Gelderland and the Flevopolder, the cooperation between grid operators and suppliers has so far helped prevent a broad connection pause for new homes. If you live in such an area and have a suitable device, you may qualify. If you live just outside it, there is no place for now, though the area keeps growing.

You do not sign up with the grid operator, but with your energy supplier. At the June 2026 scale-up the programme counted nine participating suppliers, and that number is still growing. Not every supplier takes part, and the offer differs per device:

1. EV charger: Easee and Vattenfall, among others.

2. Home battery: Frank Energie, among others.

3. Hybrid heat pump: Greenchoice (together with Intergas and Remeha).

4. Worth knowing: whether a supplier fits you depends on your postcode, device and contract. So the list differs per address and still changes regularly.

Signing up itself is not complicated. Broadly, it goes like this:

1. Check your postcode with a participating supplier; there is often a postcode checker on their site.

2. Choose the device you want to let take part: charger, home battery or hybrid heat pump.

3. Ask whether your brand and inverter are supported and whether you need a smart meter.

4. Give your approval through your contract or your supplier's scheme.

5. After that you set nothing yourself: the steering happens automatically in the background.

The programme started a year earlier on a small scale: about 35,000 households across 21 areas with a congested grid could take part, and hundreds did. In January 2026 the programme counted more than 2,200 chargers, about 85 home batteries and more than 500 hybrid heat pumps.

In late June 2026 came the big step: grid operators Enexis, Liander and Stedin announced, together with energy suppliers, a scale-up towards 50,000 to 70,000 participating households. Together that should free up 255 megawatts of flexible capacity that grid operators can deploy when overload looms, comparable to the power of the city of Haarlem. On 1 July the grid operators published the market tender 'KV Flex Smart devices' for it.

One striking gap: chargers are well ahead of home batteries. A battery is a bigger investment, so it follows more slowly. If you already have solar panels and are thinking about a home battery, now is the time to watch for steerability.

There is compensation for taking part, paid through your energy supplier. The grid operator makes that compensation available; the supplier turns it into an offer. Some providers already mention indicative amounts, but a fixed rate that applies to everyone does not exist yet. How and when you are paid differs per contract.

So do not expect an earner. Most participants join because it takes little effort and helps the grid, with a modest payment as a bonus. Exactly how grid control is paid and arranged, we explain on the page about grid control.

In short: if you live in a selected neighbourhood in Gelderland, Utrecht, the Flevopolder or North Brabant, have a suitable and steerable device, and your supplier takes part, you can probably join. With the scale-up towards 50,000 to 70,000 households, the odds grow that your area and supplier are next.

Thinking about a charger or home battery alongside your solar panels? Then pick equipment that is ready to take part from the start. SolarFast helps you choose a setup that works now and can join later. Request a no-obligation quote.