Written by Marijn

Are solar panels still worthwhile with feed-in costs?

Because the net-metering regulation stays in place, more and more energy suppliers are charging feed-in costs for customers with solar panels. Coolblue Energy as well. This means you pay a monthly fee for your solar power feed-in. In this article, we'll tell you about these feed-in costs and what they mean for you.

Why feed-in costs?

Why feed-in costs?

Thanks to the net-metering regulation, you can offset the energy you buy from your energy supplier against the energy you feed back with your solar panels. This means you get a fixed amount for the energy you feed back. In practice, the value of energy differs way more. Power is more affordable on a sunny afternoon when everyone is feeding back at the same time, than at night. As a result, energy suppliers have more costs. To divide these costs evenly, they ask for feed-in costs from customers with solar panels.

How do feed-in costs work?

Customer on phone

Energy suppliers do this in different ways. Some make an estimated calculation of how much energy you feed back each year, others charge feed-in costs per kilowatt-hour you feed back. At Coolblue Energy, You pay a higher amount of fixed supply costs per month for energy. Which amount this is, depends on how much you feed back. In the price buildup on our signup page, you can find out how much your fixed supply costs are.

Solar panels are still a good idea

Coolblue solar panel installation

Due to these monthly costs, the payback period is slightly longer. You'll still earn back solar panels faster than a few years ago. In the table on this page, we show the payback period with and without feed-in costs. We calculate with an average energy price of € 0.34 and an annual generation of 0.83kWh. This shows that you can still quickly save on your energy bill with solar panels.

Calculation payback period

Without feed-in costs With feed-in costs
Energy consumption and generation 3500kWh 3500kWh
Number of solar panels 10 10
Power per panel 430Wp 430Wp
Price indication € 4408 - € 5714 € 4408 - € 5714
Feed-in costs € 17.50 per month extra
Annual yield € 1213 € 1003
Payback period 3.6 - 4.7 years 4.4 - 5.7 years

Honest and personal advice, including calculation feed-in costs

Honest and personal advice, including calculation feed-in costs

At Coolblue Energy, we're happy to give you advice on the best solar roof for you. We'll take a look at your situation and wishes and show how many panels fit on your roof. We also calculate your yield based on the energy prices and feed-in costs of your energy suppliers. We'll give personal advice, even when a solar roof doesn't suit you. Request a free advice appointment without obligations.

Marijn
Article by:
Marijn Solar Panel Expert.