With or without a home battery: net metering or storage?

5 min read

Home battery or net metering? With a worked example before and after 1 January 2027, the role of feed-in charges and how SolarFast sizes batteries to the home.

All comparisons

Until the end of 2026, net metering settles your feed-in on the annual bill. From 1 January 2027 that stops, and what matters most is how much of your own solar power you use yourself. A home battery shifts your power to the evening, which makes it more attractive from 2027 on.

Introduction

Home battery

Solar panels without a battery export their daytime surplus to the grid; with a battery you keep that surplus for the evening. While the net metering scheme applies, that makes little financial difference. But the scheme ends on 1 January 2027, and then the maths change. Below we put both routes side by side, including a worked example before and after that date.

The options side by side

With a battery

Pros

Use your own stored power in the evening
Less reliant on the feed-in payment
Stronger once net metering ends in 2027
Can join grid control and dynamic tariffs
Counts toward the energy label (fixed system from 5 kWh, with solar panels)

Cons

Higher upfront investment
Does not pay off in every situation yet
Needs space and a suitable inverter

Without a battery (net metering)

Pros

No extra investment
Simple: feed back and settle
Fine while net metering applies, until end 2026

Cons

No more net metering from 2027
You use less of your own power
Reliant on the feed-in payment and feed-in charges

What changes on 1 January 2027?

Up to and including 31 December 2026, full net metering applies: your supplier offsets exported power against what you draw, up to at most what you take from the grid that year. On 1 January 2027 the scheme ends in one step; the government chose not to phase it down gradually. The official explanation is on the Dutch government site (Dutch).

From 2027 you receive a feed-in payment for exported power. A legal floor then applies: until 2030 at least 50 percent of the bare supply rate. Per kilowatt-hour that payment is well below what drawing power costs you, because your draw also carries energy tax and VAT. That is exactly why using your own power becomes more valuable than exporting it.

Worked example: same roof, before and after 2027

Take a household that uses 2,200 kWh per year and generates 3,400 kWh. It uses 1,100 kWh directly while the panels produce. That leaves 1,100 kWh drawn from the grid and 2,300 kWh fed back. Now suppose a battery shifts about 800 kWh per year from export to evening use. The annual picture then looks like this:

Three situations side by side (illustrative)

	Until end 2026 (net metering)	From 2027 without battery	From 2027 with battery
Drawn from the grid	1,100 kWh	1,100 kWh	approx. 300 kWh
Of which offset	1,100 kWh	0 kWh	0 kWh
Fed back	2,300 kWh	2,300 kWh	approx. 1,500 kWh
Feed-in payment over	1,200 kWh	2,300 kWh	approx. 1,500 kWh

Illustrative example following the official settlement mechanics; see the ACM explanation of net metering (Dutch). Actual figures depend on your usage pattern and battery size.

Until end 2026 that 1,100 kWh of draw is largely free: net metering wipes it out. From 2027 you pay for it in full, and your export only earns the feed-in payment. Every kilowatt-hour the battery shifts to the evening is then worth the difference between your supply rate including taxes and the net payment. That gap is what makes the battery structurally more valuable from 2027.

Feed-in charges and dynamic contracts

There is another factor: more and more suppliers charge feed-in charges for processing exported power. If your supplier works with brackets or a rate per exported kilowatt-hour, exporting less helps there too. A battery cuts your export substantially, in the example above from 2,300 to about 1,500 kWh.

Combine the battery with a dynamic energy contract and you can also charge it when power is cheap and use that power in the evening. A steerable battery can join grid control as well: for a payment, it helps the grid during peak moments.

Which battery we install

At SolarFast we install HyxiPower, Sungrow PowerHarbor and KStar. Size follows your fuse box and evening use, not a default of 5 to 10 kWh. During the site survey we look at whether your installation is battery-ready. Installing solar panels now and thinking about a battery later? We factor that into the inverter choice from the start.

The investment and payback differ per household; current figures are in your quote. For more background see what a home battery costs, or ask for advice on your situation.

Verdict

Until end 2026, full net metering means you can do fine without a battery, especially with little evening use. From 1 January 2027 the balance shifts: net metering ends, exporting earns less and self-consumption becomes the engine of your savings. Heavy evening use, a heat pump or EV charger, or interest in grid control? Then a home battery is worth a look. What it delivers depends on your evening use, your tariff and your feed-in payment.

Get more out of your own power. Four things to watch for, even as net metering ends

Your energy use

Planning to drive, cook or heat electrically? Factor that into how many panels you install now.

Spread the yield

Spread panels across roof faces so you generate through the day and use more of your own energy.

Your data

Ask your installer where your system's data is stored and which parties have remote access.

Boost your energy

A smart home battery stores today's power for later, so you use more of your own electricity after sunset.

We install your home battery

Usually within three weeks. Our installers fit the battery neatly and safely by your fuse box. We leave your home clean and make sure you know exactly how it all works.

Charge smart when power is cheap
Keep power until you need it

Book an appointment

Frequently asked questions

Increasingly so, especially with high evening use or a low feed-in payment. Until end 2026 you still benefit from full net metering, so storage is less urgent for some households. From 2027 that changes.

From 1 January 2027 exports are no longer offset against your draw. You pay for your draw in full and receive a feed-in payment for exports. Storing and using your own power becomes more attractive; a battery fills that gap.

The amount differs per supplier and is set out in your contract. From 2027 a legal floor applies: until 2030 at least 50 percent of the bare supply rate.

Often yes. With a battery-ready or hybrid inverter, expanding is easier. We take that into account when installing your solar panels.

Yes, if the battery can be steered remotely. Your supplier can then adjust it during peak moments and you receive a payment. So check for steerability when buying.

Big enough to cover your evening use, not so big that it rarely fills. The range runs roughly from 5 to 26 kWh; we size to your real consumption.

Discover what smart energy can do for you

In about an hour you get insight into your savings, the options for your home and when the investment pays back. Straightforward, honest advice so you know exactly where you stand.