The end is now really in sight for people who still held on to their reversing kWh meter. The digital meter that separately registers electricity return and consumption is now mandatory for everyone. People who continue to refuse to have their meter replaced can expect high fines.

As long as the net metering scheme still exists, it doesn't really matter much whether your return and consumption can be read separately. After all, the energy supplier is obliged to charge only the difference between the two. But now that the net metering scheme is about to disappear, the curtain definitely falls for the old dial (also known as: Ferraris) meters. The law prescribes that everyone must have a digital meter, and the grid operators (Liander, Enexis, Stedin etc.) must ensure that every household gets such a meter installed.

With or without automatic reading

People who still have an old meter can soon expect a letter from their grid company. If they do not make an appointment for replacement of their meter within six weeks, they risk a fine. Some people will have to say goodbye to their trusted meter with a heavy heart, because now the government will inevitably gain more insight into their pattern of energy consumption and return, and some people abhor any hint of government interference.

It is true that you can still choose whether the meter automatically sends the registered data to the grid operators, or whether a meter reader still has to come by to read the data on site.

Important for a stable grid

If you still have concerns about this mandatory exchange, remember that it is important for the stability of our power grid that the grid operators have insight into everything that is happening, also at a detailed level. The power grid has become much more complicated with all the local production and storage in batteries. Taken together, all distributed power generation is already greater at many times than the central generation in power plants. Grid operators are forced to increasingly refine their predictions of generation and consumption to minimize the risk of power outages. More data is indispensable for this, especially from tens of thousands of households with solar panels.

In addition, the digital meter is necessary for those who want to enter into a dynamic energy contract. After all, you can only take advantage of a price that varies per hour or per quarter hour if your consumption and generation is also registered per time unit. And since a dynamic energy contract offers the most financial advantage for those who have batteries, the digital meter will really be the most beneficial for the majority.

Everything comes to an end: including those simple, faithful dial meters of yesteryear. A new era comes again with new opportunities and challenges: Zonnefabriek is happy to help you make the best of it!