Home battery after net metering: is it worth it?

While net metering exists, it works like a free battery: what you feed back during the day you draw back in the evening. From 1 January 2027 that stops. What you feed back then earns less than what you buy later. That gives a home battery a different role than before.

What does a home battery do?

A home battery stores solar power you don't use straight away and supplies it to your home in the evening and at night. You use more of your own power yourself and feed back less at the lower rate. With a heat pump, EV charger or high evening consumption, the effect is largest.

Why the extra attention now?

• End of net metering. Self-used electricity will be worth more than fed-back electricity. See our article on net metering and the heat pump.
• A congested grid. According to the government, the power grid in provinces such as Utrecht risks overload at peak times (grid congestion). A battery that absorbs solar peaks relieves the grid.
• Dynamic contracts. With a smart energy contract, a battery can charge when power is cheap and discharge when it is expensive.

Subsidy for a home battery

There is no national ISDE subsidy for private home batteries. Some provinces and municipalities have their own schemes, which differ by region and year. Ask your municipality what is available where you live.

When does a battery pay off?

• You have solar panels and use a lot of electricity in the evening.
• You have a heat pump, electric car or other large consumers.
• You have a dynamic contract and can charge and discharge smartly.

When not necessarily?

With few solar panels, low consumption, or when you already use most of your power during the day, a battery earns less. A battery is also an investment with its own payback time. We would rather calculate that honestly than recommend a battery you don't need.

Our battery installations start at €4,500. We work with brands such as AlphaESS and Sigenergy.

Rules, rates and subsidy amounts can change. This article is general information, not personal advice; check current conditions at the source.