ACM’s Monitor on the consumer energy market: slight increase in electricity and natural-gas rates

Dutch households that take out new energy contracts this month will have to pay slightly more than they did a month ago. The Monitor on the consumer energy market of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has shown that variable contracts are approximately one percent more expensive. The rates of fixed contracts are two to three percent higher than they were last month. This price increase is in line with the trends on the wholesale markets for electricity and natural gas, where prices have also gone up slightly.

ACM’s Monitor also reveals that the majority of consumers currently has a fixed-rate contract. ACM has seen the number of households with fixed contracts slightly go down over the past few months. The number of households with variable contracts has gone up almost 30,000 per month, and the number of households with dynamic contracts went up 15,000 per month. A dynamic contract is a contract where the price of electricity can vary per hour and the natural-gas price can vary per day.

Each month, ACM publishes the rates of all contracts on offer, and sees to it that the rates are reasonable. Energy suppliers are allowed to pass on to their customers any costs that they incur, and are also allowed to keep a little extra on top of that for themselves. That little extra cannot be too much. At this moment, ACM does not have any indications that the rates are, on average, unreasonably high. However, ACM does see an increase in the number of rates that raise questions. ACM will confront suppliers with these findings, and can take enforcement action, if necessary.ACM advises consumers that wish to take out new energy contracts to always properly compare the offers of different suppliers.