Are solar panels still worthwhile with 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?
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
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
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.