Home battery owners in parts of the Netherlands could earn up to an additional €450 a year by allowing an energy supplier to control their equipment. The payments are meant to ease pressure on neighborhood electricity networks during busy evening hours.

Here's what to know

Dutch grid operators Enexis, Liander, and Stedin are paying participating suppliers to remotely dial down electric vehicle chargers, heat pumps, and home batteries during evening demand spikes, according to NL Times, citing RTL.

One estimate puts yearly payments to suppliers between €270 and €540 for each enrolled home battery, with the amount depending on how many hours a day the battery must stay available. Only selected locations in Utrecht, Flevoland, Gelderland, and eastern Noord-Brabant are included in the initiative.

Adding battery storage is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages and save money on energy. It can also help you gain more energy independence.

Homeowners exploring storage options can check out EnergySage, including competitive installation estimates. EnergySage has teamed up with electrification brand Qmerit to help homeowners get the best price on home battery storage solutions.

More background

NL Times cited a September report showing the power grid had no space left to connect the hundreds of thousands of homes built in recent years.

Cheap electricity at the national level doesn't necessarily mean a neighborhood network has room for more demand. Charging batteries in response to low wholesale prices alone can therefore aggravate local congestion, even though those same batteries can help lower demand during peak hours.

Stijn Walsh, a representative of participating supplier Frank Energie, described the challenge.

"Very occasionally the national price is so low that you want to charge, but the grid operators would prefer you not to because your neighborhood is already drawing too much power at that moment. We are starting that now with this availability fee," Walsh told RTL.

What's being done?

The compensation program spans four years, through November 2030, according to NL Times. Frank Energie said a household with a 10-kilowatt, 10-kilowatt-hour battery could see as much as €450 more a year.

Frank Energie told RTL that participation had already topped 7,000 devices. The grid operators hope to sign up between 50,000 and 70,000 households initially, with an eventual goal of securing 255 megawatts of flexible capacity.

In comments to RTL about reducing grid peaks, Gilbert de Graaf, Liander's market services director, emphasized battery operation, saying the benefit "depends mainly on how the battery is controlled."

For homeowners exploring backup options, Pila is another company offering strong battery backup solutions. Pila's plug-and-play batteries cost a fraction of a whole-home backup system.

Where can I learn more?

The Dutch program is one example of how home batteries can earn owners money while helping ease pressure on the grid.

• In the UK, battery owners say virtual power plants added £150-plus in export income.

• A Massachusetts solar owner learns virtual power plants could pay about $1,000 annually.

• California's power bill reduction proposal combines batteries, EVs, and smart thermostats for grid support.

• A UK solar owner finds 7p charging and 15p exports can outperform daytime solar.

• A UK homeowner asks whether cycling a home battery during free-electricity hours pays twice.

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