Energy for the home costs thousands of euros per year, but two out of three Dutch people do not know their own consumption.
That is the remarkable result of a study by energy company Zonneplan among a thousand Dutch people. At the beginning of this month, the consumption ceiling of 1200 cubic meters of gas and 2900 kWh was set, up to those quantities a maximum price of 1.40 and 0.40 euros applies respectively. Higher consumption is charged against the contract prices, which are often considerably higher.
Zonneplan asked in the study whether the price ceiling is sufficient. About sixty percent think so and that is in line with the expectations of Minister Jetten of Climate and Energy. But what the expectations of the Dutch are based on is not clear. Almost two out of three do not know how much electricity and gas they used last year. And as if there were no energy crisis: of the group of respondents who expect to stay below the consumption ceiling for electricity, but not for gas, 73 percent do not know what their gas consumption was in 2022.
Underestimate
According to Zonneplan, it seems that most Dutch people trust the government and consider the level of the consumption cap high enough in advance. Another possible explanation is that they underestimate their own energy consumption. “It seems that people are still not very active with their energy bills. If you’re a bit busy with it, you know your consumption,” says Frank Breukelman of Zonneplan. The result surprised the researchers. “Maybe people think: it’s irrelevant, but I’m going to cut back.”
Keeping an eye on your own consumption is not very complicated. The energy company’s app shows the consumption per year, month, week, day or even per hour. Those who want fewer details, or do not have a smart meter, can also take a look at the latest annual accounts. Then you can immediately see whether the consumption is higher or lower than the quantities mentioned for the price ceiling.
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