© MARC HERREMANS – MEDIAHUIS
Anyone who has a digital meter and has entered into a variable contract for electricity or natural gas will from now on be billed based on the actual consumption per month. This is what grid operator Fluvius reports. From July, suppliers are obliged to use these real monthly consumptions.
Today, suppliers still have to use standardized profiles to estimate exactly how much a family consumes in electricity and natural gas per month. This is because in the past the meter readings of the classic mechanical meter were only measured once a year. These profiles very accurately divide the consumption of electricity and gas over an entire year, based on comparable customers.
Thanks to the rollout of the digital meter, the real monthly consumption is now known. But grid operator Fluvius failed to pass on that data to the suppliers. In 2023, it received a fine of one million euros from the energy watchdog VREG.
April
From April, annual invoicing based on real monthly consumption will be possible, Fluvius reports. This was already possible for customers who opted for monthly invoicing. This will now also be possible for annual invoicing, although payment will still be made via advances.
From July, suppliers are even obliged to take real monthly consumption into account when invoicing. They are therefore no longer allowed to use the profiles.
The real monthly consumption only has an impact for those who have a digital meter and a variable contract. So nothing changes for customers with a classic analog meter. Nothing will change for customers with a dynamic contract or monthly invoicing, as well as for those who have a fixed energy contract.