Gas and electricity prices are running wild. It pays to compare online contracts from the various energy suppliers.
Energy market overheated
No one will have missed the thunder and lightning in the energy market. The gas price is through the roof. This is partly due to a relatively cold start to 2021, a dwindling gas supply and a rapidly growing energy requirement of a country such as China. Where demand is high and supply is low, scarcity arises and this drives up prices. In the Netherlands, prices for electricity are linked to those for gas. The result: consumers will pay considerably more for gas and electricity. It pays like never before to take a good look around the energy market.
When to compare?
The current situation is annoying for consumers whose permanent contract is (near) ending or for those with a variable contract. Which is cheaper, renew with the current provider, a fixed contract for 1, 2 or 3 years with another supplier or accept the variable costs. SeniorWeb cannot advise on this, but it can help you on your way when comparing the different options.
Meter readings
A meaningful comparison starts with looking at the average annual consumption of gas and electricity in your household.
Smart meter
If a smart meter has been installed, it is easy to check the energy consumption. Via the supplier’s site or app. Look up the annual consumption of electricity, expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh) and the gas consumption, expressed in cubic meters (m 3 ).
No smart meter
Not sure if you have a smart meter? We can determine that very easily. If you have to submit the meter readings yourself every year, you do not have a smart meter. In that case, you will receive an annual final statement from the supplier stating the gas and electricity consumption. Look up the statement in your saved correspondence.
To estimate
If the energy consumption is really impossible to find out, comparison sites offer the possibility to estimate the consumption. Based on the average consumption of comparable households.
Energy supplier comparison sites
A quick look online shows that there may be as many comparison sites as there are energy suppliers. This gives consumers the power to choose electricity provider. We pick three established and reliable names. Keep in mind that every comparison site, including the three below, get a commission. Therefore, never rely on one site, but compare the results of the sites with each other.
The three sites chosen work in a similar way. Enter zip code and house number, indicate the type of household it concerns and enter the gas and electricity consumption. It can also be indicated whether a longer-term permanent contract is desired and who has solar panels on the roof can fill in the so-called return delivery.
Please note: at the time of writing (October 2021), the situation on the energy market is so tense that various providers are withdrawing from the comparison sites. This means that the advice you see is based on a small part of the suppliers. All sites mention this. So don’t immediately respond to an offer, but try the sites again a few days later.
Consumers Association
The Consumers’ Association has the page Compare energy. Scroll all the way down and enter your zip code and house number. Click on Compare energy and fill in the necessary information on subsequent pages.
Independer
Healthcare, energy, mortgage, internet: Independer has been providing an overview of the cheapest contracts for many years. Fill on the page Compare energy enter your zip code and house number. Click on discover your advantage and fill in the necessary information on subsequent pages.
Gaslicht.com
The site gaslicht.com is one of the sites of entrepreneur Ben Woldring. The man who started Bellen.com as a 13-year-old, where telephone rates could be compared. Go to gaslight.com and enter postal code and house number. What is special about this site is that the user can request his gas and electricity consumption. This is done via iDIN, which means that you log in via your own bank. Very useful for those who cannot determine their energy consumption themselves.
A deal is a deal
On behalf of the government, the Supervisory Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) monitors whether companies comply with the rules. And can intervene if companies do not. ACM receives various reports from consumers who have received a letter from their energy supplier. The latter wants to stop the permanent contract or increase the rates because the gas has become more expensive. That is not possible. If fixed rates and duration are laid down in a contract, the supplier must adhere to them. If you receive such a letter, point it out to the supplier.