Changing energy suppliers

There are a lot of companies in the Netherlands offering energy services, all in their own way, so how do you go about finding one and switching to them?

We recently changed energy suppliers after being with our old one for some years, and I wish I had done it sooner! We should save €350 during our 1 year contract, and when that ends I will most likely switch again, unless our new supplier offers another nice deal.

First thing you should check is if you have a fixed contract with your current energy provider. They often have contracts running for 1 year, 3 years or 5 years for fixed energy prices, and once those contracts end they switch you to a flexible rate. Swapping providers in the middle of your contract can incur a cancellation fee (opzegvergoeding in Dutch), so it is worthwhile to inquire if that will be the case for you, and if so the amount of the fee.

Next, you should verify what your household energy use has been like over the past year (check your last yearly statement). This will give you realistic figures to use when comparing different energy providers.

To quickly compare many of the energy suppliers in the Netherlands you can use a price comparison website. There are several in the Netherlands, some also in English. Here are just a handful:

• Energievergelijken (in English)
• Pricewise (in English)
• Consumentenbond (in Dutch)
• Independer (in Dutch)
• Overstappen (in Dutch)

On the website, enter your family size and house information (or if you have your energy use for the last year, enter that for a more accurate comparison).

The comparison website will then check with different energy providers and generate a list of offers, often showing either the monthly or yearly cost. You can further filter the options by contract length and sustainability (‘green energy’).

Some energy providers offer one-time discounts for swapping to them. These discounts will already be calculated into the figures shown, so keep that in mind. And usually you only receive the discount when you reach the end of the contract with them. For instance: here Nuon is offering a €250 one-time cashback discount. This has already been deducted from the yearly cost, giving you the €1405 total, but you only receive that discount if you stay with them for the full 1 year contract.

If you decide you do want to change energy suppliers, you can do this through the comparison website. Just click on the offer you want to go with; you will need to enter some details. Your new energy supplier will handle the switch for you, and usually you only need to provide them with a meter reading (unless you have a smart meter).

If you change your mind, you always have a 14 day cooling-off period from when you submit your details on the comparison website to cancel the switch with no extra costs.

So with the offered savings, it is definitely worthwhile checking out if it is convenient for you to switch as well!