Net-metering costs? Turn your solar power into hot water

If you have solar panels, chances are your energy supplier already charges feed-in fees — and on 1 January 2027 the Dutch net-metering scheme (salderingsregeling) ends as well. Exported power will then earn considerably less than power you use directly yourself. Surprisingly often, the answer lies with your plumber or heating installer: hot water is the smartest way to put your own solar power to work.

What is changing about net metering?

Under the net-metering scheme, the power your solar panels export to the grid could be offset against the power you consume. Solar power generated during the day was effectively "saved" for the evening, at full value. That scheme disappears on 1 January 2027. After that, you only receive a compensation from your supplier for exported power — and it is far lower than the price you pay for the electricity you use.

On top of that, many suppliers already charge so-called feed-in or net-metering costs to households with solar panels: a fixed amount per month or per exported kWh. The more power you send to the grid, the more you pay.

What does your heating installer have to do with this?

More than you might think. Besides charging a car or home battery, hot water is the biggest "flexible" energy consumer in a home — and hot water can be stored. A well-filled cylinder is essentially a cheap battery: you put solar power in during the day and draw hot water out in the evening. Exactly the territory of the plumber and heating installer.

Three ways to turn solar power into hot water

1. Heat pump boiler

A heat pump boiler produces domestic hot water with electricity, three to four times more efficiently than an electric boiler. Set it to run mainly in the middle of the day and it heats your water almost entirely on your own solar power. Your gas consumption for hot water drops to nearly zero, and your grid exports — and therefore your feed-in costs — go down.

2. Hybrid heat pump alongside your boiler

A hybrid heat pump takes over most of your heating and lets the gas boiler step in only on cold days. When the heat pump runs during the day, it partly heats your home on power you generate yourself. Combined with solar panels this is often the fastest-paying sustainability step — and your trusted boiler stays in place as backup.

3. Smart configuration of what you already have

There are gains to be had without new appliances too. An electric or close-in boiler on a timer that heats during the day, a well maintained and hydraulically balanced system and a lower flow temperature: small interventions that raise your self-consumption and improve your returns.

What does it deliver?

An average household uses around 300 to 500 m³ of gas per year for domestic hot water alone. If you heat that water with solar power that would otherwise go to the grid for a low compensation, you win twice: a lower gas bill and lower feed-in costs. For (hybrid) heat pumps and heat pump boilers, Dutch ISDE subsidy is often available as well — check the current conditions or ask your installer.

How much it delivers in your situation depends on your roof, your consumption and your current system. For a complete home sustainability plan we like to work with specialists in sustainable climate solutions such as Klimaathuys; for the heating and hot water side, our own engineers are ready to help.

Curious what's possible in your home?

Our engineers know Amsterdam's housing stock inside out and give honest advice on what does and doesn't pay off — from a new (hybrid) boiler setup to a heat pump boiler alongside your existing system. Request a no-obligation consultation.