Dutch energy bill calculator

What makes up a Dutch energy bill?

A Dutch energy bill is more than a price per kWh or m³. The calculator uses these components, all including 21% VAT:

• Supply rate: the price your energy supplier charges per kWh of electricity and per m³ of gas. This varies widely by contract (fixed, variable or dynamic).
• Energy tax (energiebelasting): a tax per kWh and per m³ set by the government. Per unit, the tax on gas is much higher than on electricity.
• Standing charge (vaste leveringskosten): a fixed monthly amount from your supplier, regardless of use.
• Network costs (netbeheerkosten): charged by your regional grid operator for the connection and transport. These depend on your connection and region, not on your supplier.
• Energy tax reduction (vermindering energiebelasting): a fixed annual discount per residential electricity connection, deducted from your total bill.

Worked example

A household uses 2,500 kWh of electricity and 1,000 m³ of gas per year. With the average CBS rates for the reference month (see the source note below the calculator):

• electricity: 2,500 × (supply rate + energy tax) plus standing and network charges ≈ €1,236 per year;
• gas: 1,000 × (supply rate + energy tax) plus standing and network charges ≈ €1,741 per year;
• minus the energy tax reduction of about €629;
• total about €2,348 per year, or €196 per month.

The table below the result shows where the money goes. It also shows that for gas, the energy tax is a bigger part of the bill than the supply rate itself.

Average rates or your own contract?

By default the calculator uses the average consumer rates published by CBS, the Dutch statistics office. They are useful for a first estimate or to compare homes, for example when you are moving to the Netherlands, but your own contract may differ considerably. A fixed contract signed a few years ago can be more or less expensive, and with a dynamic contract the price changes every hour.

Choose My own rates if you have your contract at hand. Enter the price per kWh and per m³ including energy tax and VAT, and the fixed costs per month after the energy tax reduction. You can find these on your annual statement (jaarafrekening) or in your supplier's app.

How much energy is normal?

Your usage is on your annual statement or in your supplier's app. As a rough guide, a household uses somewhere between 2,000 and 3,500 kWh of electricity a year, depending on the number of people and appliances. Gas use depends mainly on insulation and the type of home: a well-insulated apartment uses far less than an older detached house. With a heat pump you use little or no gas but more electricity. Many Dutch homes use gas for heating, hot water and cooking.

To see what a single appliance costs, such as a tumble dryer or air conditioner, use the kWh calculator.

Checking your monthly instalment

Your monthly payment (termijnbedrag) is an advance. If it is much lower than the calculator's result, you may have to pay extra at the annual settlement, so adjust it in time. If it is much higher, you get money back, but you can also lower the advance. Solar panels are not included in this calculation; with your own rates, subtract your expected feed-in from your usage.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-06. Results are estimates for information only.