People in Flanders who have a digital meter and signed a variable contract for electricity or natural gas will from now on be billed based on the energy they actually consume per month, allowing customers to make more targeted savings.
Many suppliers currently still have to use standardised profiles to estimate exactly how much a household consumes per month in electricity and natural gas because meter readings from the classic mechanical counter were measured only once a year.
With the rollout of the digital meter, real monthly consumption figures are now known, but the Flemish energy network operator Fluvius did not pass on that data to suppliers, meaning the data was not reflected in their bills. Last year, this resulted in Fluvius being fined one million euros by energy watchdog VREG.
From April, however, annual billing based on actual monthly consumption will be possible for households in Flanders, Fluvius reported on Friday. This was already possible for customers opting for monthly billing, but now this will be extended to people opting for annual billing, which could make a difference in the annual cost.
"By using actual monthly consumption from the digital meter, each digital meter customer now also pays exactly what they consume at that month's rate," Fluvius stated. "Customers can make more targeted savings or better spread their consumption."
For example, households can choose to use less energy during periods of higher energy prices. Unlike monthly billing, customers will still pay via advance payments.
Not affecting everyone
From July, energy suppliers will be obliged to use the actual monthly consumption figures in their invoicing, meaning they are no longer allowed to use the "energy" profiles, basing costs on households with similar usage, to calculate the annual bills as was done before.
As the actual monthly consumption will only have an impact on households with a digital meter and a variable contract, nothing will change for customers with a classic analogue meter or those with a fixed energy contract.
The change will also not impact households in Brussels, where the energy distributor is Sibelga, nor in Wallonia, where this is in the hands of ORES.
