2023-12-06 15:07:59
If you want to be sure of the amount of your energy bill in the new year, it is best to opt for a permanent contract. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) advises this.
Because energy prices skyrocketed last year, there were fixed maximum rates for gas and electricity for a year.
But on January 1, that price ceiling will be over. From then on, everyone will pay the rate stated in the energy contract again.
It is of course not yet possible to say whether energy prices will rise or fall in the coming year. What is certain is that households will no longer be protected against high energy prices from 1 January.
Currently, more than 6 percent of households have an energy contract with prices above the price ceiling. Most energy companies’ rates are still below the ceiling. But that could change in the coming year, the ACM warns.
In recent weeks, major energy companies Eneco, Essent and Vattenfall announced their new variable rates for early 2024. At Eneco and Vattenfall, the price for gas is already above the maximum amount you paid according to the price ceiling.
Rates are often even lower for permanent contracts. That is why the regulator recommends choosing a permanent contract with prices below the price ceiling if you want certainty about the amount of your energy bill.
Fixed contracts with a term of two or three years are currently the cheapest, ACM says. These contracts are now 5 percent cheaper than in previous months.
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