How much will you pay in grid operator costs in 2026?
Your grid operator costs depend on who the grid operator is in your region. Use the tool below to instantly check, based on your postal code, who your grid operator is and how much you’ll pay in grid operator costs.
What are grid operator costs?
Grid operator costs are the fees you pay for the transmission of energy to your home, for the maintenance of the gas and electricity networks, and for the rental of your energy meter. You pay these costs to your grid operator through your energy supplier.
In short
- Everyone in the Netherlands pays grid operator costs.
- About 20% of your energy bill consists of grid operator costs.
- The costs depend on who your grid operator is.
- You can find these costs on your annual energy statement.
- Grid operator costs will increase (significantly) in the coming years.
How are grid operator costs calculated?
Grid operator costs for electricity are the same for everyone, regardless of your usage. This makes the Netherlands unique. In many other European countries, you pay based on how much you use.
Learn more about grid operators in the Netherlands
Grid operator costs, on the other hand, are linked to your standard annual consumption (SAC): an estimate of your gas consumption in a typical year with average weather conditions, based on previous meter readings. This determines your network costs and monthly bill. Most households fall into the 500–4,000 m³ category.
Grid operator costs in 2026
Here’s what you’ll pay in 2026 for grid operator costs for both a gas and electricity connection:
| Grid operator | Electricity | Gas | Total | Difference compared to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stedin | € 476.76 | € 274.46 | € 751.22 | 2.5% |
| Liander | €478.04 | € 266.62 | €744.67 | 7.1% |
| Enexis | €475.84 | €266.36 | € 742.20 | 2.8% |
| Coteq | €456.35 | €258.64 | €714.99 | 10.0% |
| Rendo | €444.97 | €262.87 | €707.84 | 10.2% |
| Westland | €500.20 | €230.84 | €731.04 | -1.8% |
Finalized grid operator costs as of December 16, 2025. Source: Keuze.nl
What stands out?
According to earlier projections by the ACM, combined grid operator costs for gas and electricity were expected to rise by 3.38% in 2026. This would amount to approximately €25 in additional costs per year, including VAT.
Now that the final grid management rates for 2026 are known, it appears that:
- 5 out of 6 network management regions remain below the previously expected rate increase.
- This applies in any case to the largest grid operators: Stedin, Liander, and Enexis.
- The combined grid operator costs for gas and electricity will rise by about €20 per year (a windfall).
Grid Operator Costs in 2025
The overview below shows the grid operator costs for gas and electricity in 2025.
| Grid operator | Electricity | Gas | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stedin | € 473.79 | € 259.44 | € 733.23 |
| Liander | €455.70 | €239.46 | €695.16 |
| Enexis | €475.92 | €246.09 | €722.01 |
| Coteq | €407.64 | €241.94 | €649.58 |
| Rendo | € 386.93 | €255.58 | €642.51 |
| Westland | € 521.23 | € 223.12 | € 744.35 |
Source: ACM
Trends in grid operator costs over the past few years
The graph below clearly shows how much grid operator costs have risen over the past 10 years.
Compared to 2025 (a 12.3% increase from 2024), grid operator costs for gas and electricity will rise slightly by an average of 2.5% in 2026.
In 2015, the average household paid €399.19 per year in grid operator costs. In 2026, that figure will be €702.87 per year, a 75% increase over 11 years (and well above the rate of inflation during this period).
Why have grid operator costs become so high?
Grid operator costs have risen primarily due to the energy transition. In short:
- We are using less natural gas and more electricity (heat pumps, electric cooking, home charging).
- The power grid was not built to handle such high peaks or to accommodate feed-in from solar panels.
- That is why grid operators must invest heavily in: thicker/additional cables and lines, more transformer stations, and the expansion and reinforcement of the grid.
- These investments are largely passed on to households through grid operator costs.
Long-term Projections for grid operator costs
Grid operator costs are expected to rise significantly in the coming years. The government recently calculated that approximately €10,000 per resident will be needed by 2040 to address capacity issues on the power grid.
What we know now is that households are estimated to pay €1,100 per year in grid operator costs by 2040 (assuming no policy changes).
That represents an increase of €700 per year in 2040 compared to 2025. This is higher than the ACM’s earlier calculations from 2024, which predicted an increase of €350 to €550 by 2050.
Future: Higher Grid Operator Costs During Peak Times
Starting in 2028, grid operator costs will be calculated based on the amount of electricity you consume and the time of day you consume it. Instead of a fixed annual amount, your grid operator costs may therefore be lower or higher. Read more about the new variable grid operator costs.
How are grid operator costs calculated?
The grid operator costs you pay to the grid operator through your energy supplier consist of several components:
- Connection fees: the costs for connecting you to the electricity and gas grid
- Transmission costs: what you pay for the transmission of energy to your home
- Meter costs: costs for the electricity and gas meters, including maintenance
- Government levies: taxes and surcharges collected via the grid operator
Transportation costs, also known as the capacity tariff, account for by far the largest portion of your grid operator costs, at nearly 80%.
How are grid operator costs determined:
- Each year, grid operators submit their proposed rates for the coming year to the ACM
- ACM then reviews these proposals and decides whether they are reasonable
- Grid operators implement the approved new rates effective January 1 of the new year
Compare grid operator costs
Since grid operator costs are fixed for every household and not tied to your usage, you cannot compare energy suppliers based on grid operator costs. Therefore, it is not possible to save on your grid operator costs.
Where you can save money right away is on the gas price, the electricity price, and the standing charges (administration fees). These vary from supplier to supplier. As a new customer, you can also take advantage of a welcome discount offered by many suppliers. You can see these rates in our comparison tool.
Go to our energy comparison tool