Compare energy providers in the Netherlands: find the best deal in 2026

Step 1: Enter your address and living situation

The comparison starts with your address. Enter your postal code and house number, including any addition. This is necessary because fixed network costs can vary by region – an apartment in Amsterdam (e.g., postal code 1012 AB) has different regional charges than a detached house in Drenthe (e.g., 9401 XX).

What information do you need?

• Postal code and house number

• Choose whether you have electricity, gas, or both electricity and gas at home

• Number of residents in your household

This information helps to make an accurate estimate of your expected consumption if you don’t have exact figures at hand. It’s also the easiest way to start for people who have just moved to the Netherlands.

Step 2: Choose your current energy supplier and contract type

Do you already have a Dutch energy supplier? Think of well-known names like Vattenfall, Eneco, Essent, Budget Energie, Vandebron, Greenchoice, ENGIE, or Oxxio. In the comparison tool, you indicate who you are currently a customer of.

In the comparison tool, you can choose between three types of contracts: fixed, variable, and dynamic. These contracts are available for different durations, including indefinite periods, as well as fixed terms of 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years. This flexibility allows you to select the contract type and length that best suits your energy needs and personal circumstances.

Step 3: Provide your consumption or let it be estimated

For the most accurate comparison, use your consumption from the past year. You find this on your annual statement or in the online environment of your current supplier.

Don’t have exact figures? No problem. The tool can estimate your consumption based on:

• Number of people in your household

• I have a dual and smart meter

• Presence of solar panels

For reference, some example consumption figures:

These are indicative figures for orientation. The national average across all Dutch households is 2,430 kWh of electricity and 1,040 m³ of gas per year (CBS, 2024, via Milieu Centraal); consumption in your own home depends mainly on insulation, construction year and how it is heated. With your own figures you get the most accurate comparison, but an estimate already shows where you can save.

At your annual final bill, you are charged based on your actual consumption. This means that once a year, your energy supplier calculates the exact amount of electricity and gas you have used over the past year and settles your account accordingly. If you have paid too much in advance, you will receive a refund; if you have paid too little, you will need to pay the difference.

Step 4: Choose which energy you need (electricity, gas, or both)

Not every home in the Netherlands still has a gas connection. New builds are often fully all-electric, while older homes in cities like Rotterdam and The Hague usually still use natural gas for heating.

In the comparison, you choose between:

• Electricity and gas – the most common situation

• Electricity only – for all-electric homes or households with a heat pump

• Gas only – for example, temporarily during renovations or if you arrange electricity elsewhere

Your choice determines which energy contracts are shown and how the total price is calculated. Are you only interested in electricity? Then you will only see providers offering electricity-only contracts.

Step 5: Compare rates, terms, and sustainability

After entering your details, you get an overview of multiple suppliers in the Netherlands. Per provider, you see:

• Estimated annual costs based on your consumption

• Delivery tariff per kWh (electricity) and per m³ (gas)

• Fixed delivery costs per month

• Contract type and duration

• Possible welcome discount

What should you pay attention to?

Use filters such as “cheapest,” “most green,” or “best rating” to quickly find the provider that fits what is important to you

Step 6: Choose an offer and apply for your contract directly

Have you found a suitable provider? Then you can directly click through to apply for your new contract. You fill in your personal details:

• Full name

• Date of birth

• Email address

• IBAN (bank account number)

• Desired start date

Choose a start date that aligns with the end of your current contract, for example, 1 May if your current agreement ends on 30 April.

Switching in the Netherlands is fully administrative. No one comes to change the meter – the electricity and gas keep flowing. Your new energy supplier arranges cancellation with your old supplier, and you receive confirmation by email or letter.

Step 7: Complete the switch and start saving

The switch to a new energy supplier takes on average 4 to 6 weeks. This depends on your chosen start date and the notice period with your current supplier.

What can you expect?

• You receive confirmation from your new supplier

• Your old supplier confirms termination

• Around the start date, a meter reading is requested (often automatic with a smart meter)

• You receive a final bill from your old supplier

There is never a moment without electricity or gas – the grid operator always ensures continuity. From the start date, you immediately benefit from your new rates.

Tip: It pays off to compare energy providers annually. This way, you are sure to always have the best deal.

Types of energy contracts in the Netherlands

In the Dutch energy market there are four contract types: fixed, variable, dynamic, and the model contract. Each fits a different risk tolerance and a different length of stay. Below we explain the pros and cons of each.

Fixed energy contract

A fixed energy contract means your price per kWh and per m³ remains the same for a fixed period – usually 1 year, sometimes 2 or 3 years. This offers maximum certainty: no matter what happens on the market, your rate doesn’t change.

Advantages:

• Full price certainty during the term

• Protection against sudden price increases

• Ideal for those staying at least a year in the Netherlands

• Easy budgeting

Disadvantages:

• Less flexible if market prices drop

• Usually a cancellation fee when switching early

• You miss opportunities if rates fall sharply

A cancellation fee (opzegvergoeding) can only be charged if three conditions are all met: the contract is for a fixed period, that period has not yet ended, and the fee is set out in the contract itself. There is no cancellation fee on a contract with variable or dynamic rates, none on a contract whose term has already expired, and none on the open-ended model contract.

Where a fee does apply, it is not a flat penalty. It is calculated from your remaining consumption until the end of the contract, multiplied by the difference between the rate you are paying and the rate the same supplier charges today for an agreement with the same remaining term. If market prices have risen since you signed, that difference can be nil and leaving early costs you nothing.

One point matters particularly for internationals: moving house, or leaving the Netherlands altogether, is not an exception. If you end a fixed contract early because you are emigrating, the fee remains payable. Ask your supplier for the calculation in writing before you cancel. The notice period is at most one month for any Dutch energy contract, and contracts concluded online carry a fourteen-day cooling-off period.

Variable energy contract

With a variable contract, your rates are periodically adjusted, normally at set moments during the year and always with advance notice. The contract runs indefinitely and you can leave with at most one month's notice.

Advantages:

• No cancellation fee, ever

• Benefits when market prices fall

• Suitable for uncertain living situations (temporary stay, possible move)

• Flexibility to switch quickly

Disadvantages:

• No certainty about your monthly amount

• Rates can rise, especially in winter

• Hard to estimate long-term costs

Dynamic energy contract

A dynamic contract links your electricity price to hourly spot market prices and your gas price to daily prices. This requires a smart meter and some involvement.

Advantages:

• Possible very low rates when there is much wind and solar energy

• Ideal for those who can shift consumption (e.g., washing machine at night, EV charging at low prices)

• Transparent: you see exactly what energy costs at each moment

• Suitable for solar panels and home batteries

Disadvantages:

• Large price fluctuations per hour

• Risk of high hourly prices in tight markets

• Requires active involvement and planning

• Not suitable for those wanting certainty

Switching to another supplier is possible without a termination fee under certain conditions – see the section on cancellation above.

Several Dutch suppliers offer dynamic contracts, usually with an app that shows the hourly price so you can plan around it. How much that saves depends entirely on how much of your consumption you can actually move: a household that charges an electric car overnight and runs a heat pump on cheap hours has a great deal of room to shift, one with a fixed daily rhythm has very little.

Model contract (modelcontract)

The model contract is the least-advertised option in the Dutch market and often the most useful one for internationals. It is a standard contract whose terms and conditions are set by the ACM, the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets, rather than by the supplier, and every Dutch supplier is legally required to offer it. Because the conditions are identical everywhere, suppliers offering a model contract are directly comparable on price alone.

Since 2026 there are two versions: one for an indefinite period with variable rates, and one for a definite period with fixed rates. The indefinite version has no end date, no cancellation fee and a notice period of at most one month – which is why it often suits someone who does not yet know how long they will be living in the Netherlands.

What to watch out for when comparing energy providers?

Not only the base price matters. If you stay longer in the Netherlands, conditions, sustainability, and service are just as important. Below is a practical checklist.

Price components:

• Delivery tariff per kWh (electricity) – often the largest cost item

• Delivery tariff per m³ (gas)

• Fixed monthly delivery costs – can range from €5 to €15+

• Network charges (netbeheerkosten) – set by the regional grid operator for your address and billed through your supplier. Identical at every supplier, so they never make one offer cheaper than another.

Contract conditions:

• Contract duration

• Cancellation fee for early termination

• Notice period – at most one month, for every Dutch energy contract

• Automatic renewal or not

Extras and benefits:

• Welcome discount (welkomstkorting) – a one-off amount credited in the first contract year. It flatters a one-year comparison and disappears in year two, so check what the contract costs without it.

• Feed-in terms for solar panels – what the supplier pays for exported electricity and what it charges to process it

• Bundles with other products (like EV charging)

Sustainability:

• Green energy (renewable electricity) – 100% renewable?

• Origin: Dutch wind and solar, or Guarantees of Origin bought elsewhere in Europe?

• The supplier's published electricity mix (stroometiket), which every Dutch supplier must publish

Customer service:

• Availability: phone, chat, or email

• Opening hours of customer service

• Dutch and English support (important for expats)

A supplier with a higher rate per kWh can still come out cheapest in the first year, because a welcome discount is credited once. In the second year that discount is gone and the ranking can reverse. Compare the total annual cost without the discount as well as with it.

When is it smart to switch energy providers?

Switching yields the most savings around the end of your existing contract, when cancellation fees expire. But there are other moments when switching makes sense.

Ideal times to compare:

• 4-8 weeks before the end date of your contract

• Immediately after a fixed contract ends – you usually fall back on variable rates, which can be less favorable

• When market prices drop sharply – switching can be cheaper even with a fee

• If your situation changes – family expansion, working from home, or installing solar panels

Situations where earlier switching pays off:

If your current energy contract is variable with high rates, you can switch immediately without penalty. Compare the market and switch if the saving is worth the effort.

Moving within the Netherlands?

When moving, you have two options:

1. Take your contract with you – your current supplier moves to your new address

2. Choose a new supplier – a perfect moment to compare and possibly save

A move is often a natural moment to reconsider your energy supplier. Compare rates for your new address, as regional network costs may differ.

Annual comparison as a habit:

It is worth comparing at least once a year, even if you are satisfied. The market changes continuously and what was cheap last year may not be now.

Frequently asked questions about energy comparison in the Netherlands

These frequently asked questions focus on practical matters for everyone living or newly moved to the Netherlands who wants to arrange an energy contract.

Ready to find out what you could save? Take your annual statement for your actual consumption, note when your current contract ends, and compare the offers for your own address.