What is a dynamic energy contract?

You know the energy contracts with a fixed and a variable rate. In recent years, a third type has been added: the dynamic energy contract. As mentioned in the introduction, the price with this type of contract varies per quarter of an hour. The gas price changes less often: once a day. With a dynamic energy contract you pay the purchase price of the energy market. This price is set a day earlier on the basis of an auction. On top of the purchase price there is often also a fee for the energy supplier.

Trading on the basis of dynamic energy prices is done on the EPEX Spot market. Nowadays there are numerous Dutch energy suppliers that facilitate this trading. Besides the EPEX Spot market, there is also an imbalance market of TenneT. As a private individual, you cannot participate in this directly. Engage an aggregator, an intermediary, to buy or sell electricity. Whereas the price on the EPEX Spot market is determined a day earlier, the imbalance market has a virtually real-time price (15 minutes delay).

Frank Energie, among others, is an energy supplier that facilitates trading on both the EPEX Spot market and the imbalance market. Also ask your energy supplier what options you have when you combine a dynamic contract with a home battery.

Advantages of a home battery and a dynamic contract

Without a home battery, a dynamic contract is often of little use to you, unless you can actively steer your consumption pattern. The latter means that your energy consumption peaks when the price is low. Do the washing in the middle of the day, turn on the dishwasher when the sun is shining, and so on. For people who regularly work away from home, that is difficult. A dynamic contract without a home battery carries the risk that you pay more per kWh than you would have done with a contract with a fixed or variable rate.

A home battery makes it possible to postpone your consumption of cheap electricity. You charge the battery when the price is low, to use this energy at peak times for your cooker, for your heat pump or, for example, the charging point of your electric car.

Capacity of a home battery

When you are considering the purchase of a home battery , there are various factors to take into account. The capacity of the system is one of the most important examples of this. You want the capacity of your battery to match your consumption pattern, the yield of your solar panels, future investments in making your home more sustainable, and so on. Start by calculating how much electricity you use per year and what your solar panels yield on average. With an online home battery configurator, you can then very easily determine which capacity suits your household.

In many cases a capacity of 5 to 15 kWh is sufficient, according to figures from Dutch New Energy Research. Because modern home batteries often have a modular design, you can expand the capacity of the system at a later time if your consumption pattern changes. You may invest in a heat pump, which makes it interesting to expand the capacity of your home battery.

Dynamic contract, home battery and no solar panels

It is sometimes thought that a home battery is mainly interesting for households with solar panels. Even without solar panels, but with a dynamic energy contract, a home battery can be profitable. It is important that a home battery has a smart EMS, an energy management system. Based on your consumption pattern and the current energy rates, this system determines the best moment for charging and discharging your battery. These systems are often AI-driven and learn from the way you use energy throughout the day.

Nowadays, modern home batteries are almost always combined with an app as standard. Such an app makes it possible to monitor the status of your battery and adjust where necessary; you can choose a charging and discharging strategy yourself in the app.