Short answer
Feed-in costs reduce the saving, but rarely make solar panels unprofitable. With 10 panels you earn them back in 6.8 years without feed-in costs, and in 9.3 years with the default values (€0.055 per kWh). If the costs are as high as the compensation, so exporting brings nothing, it becomes 15.9 years.
What are feed-in costs?
From 2027 your supplier bills purchases and exports separately. For exported electricity you receive a feed-in compensation; until 2030 it is by law at least 50% of the bare supply rate. The supplier may deduct the costs it incurs to process your exported electricity. The ACM supervises these costs. What you keep per kWh differs by supplier.
What do they do to your saving?
The same 10 panels and 3,500 kWh of consumption, with a feed-in compensation of €0.09 per kWh and rising costs.
| Feed-in costs per kWh | Production a year | Used directly | Saving a year | Payback period | Net over the lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €0.00 (net €0.09) | 3,806 kWh | 29% | €576 | 6.8 years | €7,938 |
| €0.02 (net €0.07) | 3,806 kWh | 29% | €522 | 7.5 years | €6,732 |
| €0.055 (net €0.035) | 3,806 kWh | 29% | €428 | 9.3 years | €4,622 |
| €0.09 (net €0.00) | 3,806 kWh | 29% | €333 | 15.9 years | €2,511 |
| €0.12 (net -€0.03) | 3,806 kWh | 29% | €253 | 21.6 years | €702 |
The saving falls less steeply than you might expect. That is because the electricity you use yourself (29% of your production) keeps its value of €0.30 per kWh. If the costs exceed the compensation, every exported kWh costs you money: the payback period then becomes 21.6 years.
The bigger your set, the more it matters
Those who export a lot notice the costs most. With 6 panels the difference between no feed-in costs and a net compensation of zero takes 30% of your saving; with 14 panels 50%.
What can you do?
- Compare contracts on the net compensation. Look at feed-in compensation minus feed-in costs, not just the electricity price.
- Use more yourself. Run the washing machine, dishwasher or car charger during the day. Every kWh you do not export is suddenly worth €0.30.
- Do not buy more panels than you need, unless your consumption will rise with a heat pump or an electric car.
- A dynamic contract pays the hourly price for exported electricity. That price is low on sunny afternoons and sometimes negative. In our example it saves €343 a year, against €428 on a fixed or variable contract.
- A home battery stores surpluses for the evening. Whether that pays off depends mostly on the price of the battery.
Enter your own feed-in costs →
Does a home battery pay for itself? →
Sources
- Rijksoverheid, Net metering ends in 2027 (in Dutch). End of net metering on 1 January 2027 and the minimum feed-in compensation of 50% of the bare supply rate until 2030.
- Rijksoverheid, Feed-in costs and supervision by the ACM (in Dutch). Suppliers may only pass on the costs they incur to process electricity fed into the grid; the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) supervises this.
- Eneco, Vattenfall, Supplier explanations of feed-in from 2027 (in Dutch). How purchase and feed-in are billed separately from 2027, including feed-in costs.
- Energievergelijk.nl, Net feed-in compensation per supplier from 1 January 2027 (in Dutch). Net compensation (compensation minus feed-in costs) at large suppliers: roughly 3 to 4 cents per kWh, autumn 2026.
- Milieu Centraal, Cost and yield of solar panels (in Dutch). Price and yield of 6, 8 and 10 panels of 435 Wp (€2,500 / 2,300 kWh, €3,200 / 3,000 kWh, €3,800 / 3,800 kWh), about 30% direct self-consumption, a 25-year lifetime and about 600 kg CO2 saved a year with 8 panels after production.