By Laurens Arends · updated 05-10-2026
Compare using your postcode, annual usage and meter type, and read reviews. Use the overview with your usage and feed-in filled in.
± 15 minutesAll you need is your address, IBAN and estimated annual usage. After that you have a 14-day cooling-off period.
± 5 minutesYour old contract is cancelled automatically. You submit your meter readings once and the final bill follows within 8 weeks.
2 to 6 weeks, automatically| Your situation | Early exit fee | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Variable or dynamic contract | None | Cancel monthly, statutory notice period 30 days. |
| Fixed contract, signed before 1 June 2023 | Fixed amount (old method) | The old, capped amounts still apply to these contracts. |
| Fixed contract, signed after 1 June 2023 | Residual value of your benefit | The fee is based on the remaining benefit of your contract and can run to hundreds of euros. Always work it out before you switch. |
| Last month of your fixed contract | None | From 30 days before the end date you switch for free. Set the contract alarm. |
Supply always continues; only the sender of your bill changes.
The application takes five minutes; the rest happens automatically.
Your new supplier handles the cancellation.
Suppliers count on it. If you compare every year, you rarely pay too much.
We alert you right in the free switching month, with the best deals of that moment.
Fixed rates move with the market. Welcome discounts are high at the moment, up to € 580. Check whether switching makes financial sense with your current contract.
If you are on a variable contract now, compare the total annual amount with your current expected annual costs. If you have a fixed contract, first deduct any early exit fee and any discount you would have to repay from the benefit. Nobody can reliably predict the market price, so base your decision to switch mainly on the current deals and your need for certainty.
Look at all deals and then compare energy suppliers yourself. Use your postcode, annual usage and latest annual statement. If you have solar panels, enter both your consumption and your feed-in. Compare the total annual amount, the term, fixed costs, feed-in costs and discount. Net metering ends on 1 January 2027, so also check the feed-in terms for 2027.
Before you apply, check the end date and cancellation terms of your current contract. After you apply you receive a contract confirmation with the rates, term, start date and conditions. An energy contract signed online or by phone has a statutory cooling-off period of fourteen days after the confirmation. If you explicitly ask for supply during that period and then cancel, you do pay for the energy already supplied.
The new supplier reports the switch to the distribution system operator, the network operator, and normally cancels your old supply contract. That is also set out in the 2026 industry terms for household energy. Your connection and meter stay the same. After the switch, check the opening readings and the final bill from your old supplier.
| Your situation | Switch for free? | Notice period or fee |
|---|---|---|
| Variable contract | Yes | No early exit fee. The notice period is in your contract and is at most one month. |
| Dynamic contract | Yes | No early exit fee. Do keep the notice period in your contract in mind. |
| Fixed contract ends soon | Yes, on the end date | You can switch within the last thirty days, provided the new contract only starts when the old one ends. |
| Fixed contract signed before 1 June 2023 | Not always | If you cancel early, the old maximum amounts apply: € 50 to € 125 per energy product. For gas and electricity together this can be € 100 to € 250. |
| Fixed contract signed on or after 1 June 2023 | Not always | The supplier may charge an early exit fee based on the residual value. This depends on your remaining usage and the price difference with a comparable new contract. |
| Within the statutory cooling-off period | Yes | You can cancel within fourteen days of the contract confirmation. If supply has already started at your request, you pay for the energy supplied. |
| Moving house or moving in together | Not automatically | Moving house does not end a fixed contract by itself. |
| Supplier changes your contract terms | Sometimes | If a contract change works against you, you can often cancel free of charge. This does not automatically apply to changes in taxes or network costs. |
With a variable or dynamic contract you pay no early exit fee. The notice period is in your contract and is at most one month. The 2026 industry terms use a shorter period of five working days. These model terms are not law and only apply if your supplier has declared them applicable to your contract.
You can let a fixed contract end free of charge on the agreed end date. So in the last thirty days you can already apply for a new contract, as long as the new supply only starts when the old contract ends and you respect the contractual notice period. Stopping straight away before the end date is not automatically free.
For fixed contracts signed on or after 1 June 2023, the supplier calculates the early exit fee using the residual value method. The calculation is:
Early exit fee = remaining expected usage × (your contract rate − the rate of a comparable new contract with the same supplier)
If the current comparable rate is equal to or higher than your rate, the fee for that product is zero. If energy has become cheaper, the fee can run to hundreds of euros. The supplier calculates electricity and gas separately and has to explain the calculation. A calculation you request stays valid for two months.
The old fixed maximum amounts only still apply to a fixed contract signed before 1 June 2023. If in doubt, always ask for an up-to-date calculation first. Also watch out for a possible claw-back of the welcome discount.
Since 1 January 2026 most of the new Energy Act has applied. It replaced the Electricity Act 1998 and the Gas Act. The official commencement decree lists which parts took effect on that date. Ordinary Dutch consumer and contract law also continues to apply.
Your contract usually consists of the personal offer, the contract confirmation, product terms, general terms and any bonus terms. Check in particular the agreed rates, start and end date, notice period, how the exit fee is calculated, the rules when you move house, feed-in and how the discount is paid out.
Under the Energy Act, the supplier has to provide the contract and the main terms clearly and understandably before you sign. General terms must have been validly declared applicable and may not override mandatory consumer rights.
A fixed contract only fixes the agreed supply rates. Energy tax, VAT and network costs can change during the term. Your monthly instalment can also change if your usage changes. With many suppliers, a fixed contract automatically continues indefinitely at variable rates after the end date.
The 2026 model terms say the supplier must tell you about this at least a month before the end date. Always check your own terms, because a supplier can deviate from the industry model on one or more points.
| Term | Why check it? |
|---|---|
| Start date and term | The start date has to follow on from the end date of your old contract. Also check exactly when the fixed period ends. ACM warns that ending only gas or only electricity under a combined contract sometimes ends the whole contract. |
| Fixed rate and price changes | Check which supply prices are fixed and which fixed costs the supplier may change under the contract. Taxes and network costs are not part of the fixed supply price. |
| Supply and feed-in | With solar panels, consumption, feed-in and feed-in costs can all be in one contract. |
| Welcome discount | Check the amount, when it is paid out and the conditions for claw-back. Always compare the net annual price, not just the monthly instalment. |
| Moving house | See whether the contract can move with you, how quickly you have to report the move and what happens if supply is not possible at the new address. |
| Change of terms | Check when the supplier may change the terms or variable rates and what right to cancel free of charge you then get. |
If you receive different rates or terms before the start than in your confirmation, do not rely only on an answer by phone. Ask for a written explanation. With a substantial change you may have the right to end the contract free of charge.
The monthly instalment is an advance payment, not a payment for your exact monthly usage. The new supplier estimates your annual costs based on current rates, taxes, network costs and expected usage. After a few months, check whether the estimate still fits your situation. A lower instalment is not a saving in itself and can lead to an extra payment with the annual bill.
An energy contract is in principle tied to the person. Moving house therefore does not automatically end a fixed contract. You can often take it with you, but check the moving terms and report both addresses in good time. If you cannot or do not want to take the contract with you, ending it early can lead to an exit fee. According to the ACM, that also applies when you emigrate or move in together.
On the day you hand over the keys, note the meter readings at the old and the new home. Take photos and, if possible, record the readings together with the other party. Photos are useful as proof even with a smart meter. The old supplier has to send a final bill within six weeks of the move or the switch.
With district heating you usually cannot switch heat supplier. There is no national heat network and you depend on the local provider. You can choose a different supplier for electricity and sign an electricity-only contract without gas. The price and sustainability of heat differ per source and network, so district heating is not automatically cheap or climate-friendly.
Switching energy is no longer the exception: more and more people do it. In its most recent published twelve-month figure, the ACM reported that 15,1% of households had switched supplier. That was slightly higher than a year earlier. The ACM published this figure in December 2025. A full-year figure for 2026 is not available yet. Even so, there are still misconceptions about switching supplier. We set the main ones straight.
The application usually takes a few minutes. The suppliers and the system operator then process the switch. You mainly need to check your usage, contract end date, solar panels and terms carefully. Energy suppliers deliberately make switching as simple as possible.
With a variable or dynamic contract there is no early exit fee. You can also let a fixed contract end without a fee on the contractual end date. Only stopping early with a fixed contract that is still running can cost money.
Switching supplier is purely administrative. The cables, pipes, connection and meter stay in use. With a correctly planned switch, the new supply follows on from the old one and you are never without electricity or gas.
Neither is always true. A longer contract can be attractively priced, but it limits your flexibility. Switching energy every year can pay off because of welcome discounts, for example, but only if the total annual amount after fixed costs, feed-in costs and any exit fee really is lower.
Switching makes sense if the new total annual amount is lower and the terms suit you better. Do not look only at the bare price per kWh and m³. Include fixed supply costs, solar panels, discount, term and customer service in the comparison. Switching only pays off if the expected benefit is greater than the early exit fee and any bonus you would have to repay.
If you are having a heat pump or solar panels installed, are moving house or expect a big change in your usage, it is wise to use that new situation in the comparison. That can make switching more attractive, or less.
The contract has to state the amount and the conditions clearly. If the supplier wants to be able to claw back the discount when you cancel early, the money must, under the 2026 Energy Regulation, have been offset or paid out by the second direct debit of the monthly instalment at the latest. Claw-back is only allowed if you cancel within six months of the start, and never for more than the amount received.
Since 2026, according to the explanation of the new Energy Act, an energy supplier's contract benefit may only be a sum of money. Products and vouchers are therefore no longer allowed. Such an offer is not automatically good or bad: compare the net annual price including all costs and discounts. Sometimes the deal with a bonus really is the cheapest.
You compare contracts, choose a start date and apply for the new contract. After the confirmation you have, in principle, fourteen days to change your mind. The new supplier processes the switch and, in a normal switch, cancels your old contract.
Normally not. Switching energy supplier only changes who sells you energy, not your connection or system operator. Do make sure the new contract starts in time and respond to requests for meter readings.
You can apply for a new contract all year round. You can end a variable or dynamic contract without an exit fee, with the notice period in your contract, at most one month. Let a fixed contract end on the agreed date, or ask beforehand what stopping early would cost.
Not with a normal switch. The new supplier cancels the old contract on your behalf and takes the end date you gave into account. Sometimes you do have to cancel yourself, for example when you emigrate or when a connection is removed. There is then no new energy supplier to arrange the cancellation for you.