From the cost of heating to how to install solar panels, energy matters concern everyone. And oftentimes, they can be confusing.
To shine a light on these complexities, each month consumer protection organisation Testachats dives into a topic affecting customers for The Brussels Times. Previous explainers delved into energy bills, how (and when) to switch suppliers, solar panels, heat pumps and negative prices and a new type of contract.
This month, the focus is on digital electricity meters.
What is a digital electricity meter?
A digital electricity meter continuously monitors how much electricity consumers are drawing from the grid. If they have solar panels, the meter also measures how much solar energy they are consuming or feeding into the grid.
"This consumption data is exchanged with your energy supplier, so they no longer need to check your meter reading on-site," Laura Clays, spokesperson for Testachats, told The Brussels Times.
If you have solar panels, the digital meter allows you to see exactly how much you are consuming, how much you are injecting back into the grid, and when. "This way, the supplier can also bill you accurately," she said.
A digital electricity meter. Credit: Belga
Following an EU initiative in 2009, grid operators have been rolling out digital energy meters in all of Belgium recently. In Brussels, 219,000 households now have a smart electricity meter (gas meters are not on the agenda yet).
"The EU wanted to make its citizens more aware of their energy consumption and decided in 2009 that Member States should replace the traditional mechanical meter with a digital meter in 80% of households by 2020," Clays said.
In Flanders, the goal is to install a digital meter in 100% of homes by 1 July 2029. In Wallonia, the large-scale rollout began last month; every household should have one by 31 December 2029. For Brussels, the goal is to upgrade 80% of installed meters by 2030, so that energy consumption can be monitored.
Can you refuse installation?
"You can certainly request an installation. It is even free," Clays said. Refusing, however, is not as simple.
People living in Flanders are not allowed to refuse the installation, and legal proceedings have even been initiated against citizens who continue to do so.
In Brussels, you cannot refuse the installation of the meter, "but you can choose not to activate the function that exchanges data directly," Clays said.
In Wallonia, this function is automatically enabled upon installation (unlike in Brussels). However, they can still request to deactivate it. "Be sure to do this within 15 calendar days of the meter's installation; otherwise, you will have to pay for it."
How does it work?
The main application is to use the data to better monitor people's energy consumption. This is best done via an energy management system, with a dongle that you connect to the digital meter.
"The data is then sent to an app in real time, allowing people to switch certain appliances on or off based on their other consumption or depending on the sun's rays," she said. "This is useful for those who want to better align their energy consumption with their solar panels, or for those who want to avoid running too many appliances simultaneously."
In Flanders, this is important for the capacity tariff, where part of the grid costs is based on people's peak power (the highest consumption at a given time), for example.
Consumers can also decide to switch to a dynamic energy contract, where electricity prices fluctuate hourly. If they then use electricity during cheaper hours (typically the afternoon and night), they can save a lot of money.
Illustrative image. Credit: Belga
What's more, there are also negative prices: you get paid for using electricity at those times. This applies to sunny Sunday afternoons, when typically very little electricity is used, but a lot of solar energy is available.
Additionally, you can also choose to pay your consumption with monthly bills instead of advance payments. "At the end of the month, your supplier will then check your exact consumption and charge you for that exact amount," said Clays.
This is not standard: normally, it is only at the end of the year that they look at how much a household has consumed over the entire year. Then, suppliers will compare these advance payments with their actual consumption. If their consumption is higher than expected, they will be charged extra. If they used less energy than they paid for in advance, they will receive a refund.
More information about how dynamic contracts and negative electricity prices work, and about advance payments versus monthly bills, can be found here.
