Net metering ends in 2027: are solar panels and a home battery still profitable?
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Since the arrival of feed-in costs and the phasing out of the net metering scheme, reactions such as "I'm turning off my solar panels in 2027" and "They're coming off the roof" are appearing more and more frequently on social media and news websites. The frustration is understandable. Many households invested thousands of euros in solar panels during a period when fed-back power had almost the same value as power drawn from the grid. From January 1, 2027, that will change. But does this mean that solar panels are no longer profitable? No. In fact, solar panels will continue to save hundreds of euros per year even after the end of the net metering scheme. What changes is where that saving comes from. The focus is shifting from feeding back into the grid to self-consumption.
- Solar panels remain profitable after 2027: A household with 12 solar panels will save approximately €438 per year on their energy bill even without net metering.
- Self-consumption increases with a home battery: From approximately 35% to approximately 65% — in line with independent research by CE Delft and Dutch market data.
- Realistic payback period: The combination of the Dyness Tower T7 + Solis S6 hybrid inverter has an expected payback period of 9.5 to 11 years with an investment of approximately €3,000 – €3,050 including installation.
- Smart energy management becomes essential: Thanks to Solis AI, energy is not only stored but also used more intelligently at times when it yields the most benefit.
- More than just returns: Increasingly, households are also choosing backup functionality, energy security, and future-proofing.
What is changing in 2027?
Through December 31, 2026, households may offset their fed-back power against power they consume at a different time. This is called net metering. This scheme will end in 2027. Households will still receive compensation for fed-back power, but that compensation is significantly lower than the value of power used directly. Furthermore, many energy suppliers charge feed-in costs. As a result, every kilowatt-hour used yourself becomes much more valuable than a kilowatt-hour fed back into the grid.
How will solar panels still make money after 2027?
Solar panels will continue to provide financial benefits after 2027 in two ways.
- Direct self-consumption: This is the solar power you use directly in your home — from the refrigerator and washing machine to the heat pump and charging station. Every kilowatt-hour you use directly is one you do not have to purchase from your energy supplier. With an electricity price of approximately €0.26 per kWh, that provides an immediate saving.
- Feed-in: Power that is not used directly goes back to the electricity grid. You will still receive compensation for this from 2027 onwards — for many fixed contracts, this is currently between approximately €0.01 and €0.025 per kWh net. That is significantly less than the value of direct self-consumption.
Example: a home with 12 solar panels
An average household with 12 solar panels generates approximately 4,200 kWh per year. Without a battery, about one-third of this power is used directly.
| Component | kWh per year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Self-consumption | 1,400 kWh | €368 |
| Feed-in | 2,800 kWh | €70 |
| Total yield | 4,200 kWh | €438 |
Even without net metering, solar panels still yield approximately €438 per year. Anyone who turns off their solar panels loses this entire saving and, furthermore, has to purchase more power from their energy supplier.
Why is a home battery becoming attractive?
The real challenge from 2027 onwards is no longer in generating power, but in using it smartly. During the day, solar panels often produce more electricity than a household needs immediately. In the evening, the exact opposite happens: the sun is no longer providing anything while electricity consumption increases. A home battery bridges this difference by temporarily storing solar energy generated during the day and making it available for use in the home later. As a result, self-consumption increases significantly.
How much does self-consumption actually increase?
- CE Delft: In a representative pilot by CE Delft, self-consumption increased from approximately 35% to 68% with a home battery of only 5 kWh. In this example, we calculate using a Dyness Tower T7 of 7.1 kWh — a battery with significantly more storage capacity. That does not automatically mean that self-consumption increases proportionally, but it shows that self-consumption of approximately 65% to 70% is technically very achievable.
- Dutch market data: Various Dutch installers, manufacturers, and energy companies cite an increase from approximately 30% to 60% to 80% self-consumption as a realistic range. The exact outcome depends on family composition, the presence of a heat pump, an electric car, working from home, energy contract, and smart energy management.
For an average household with 12 solar panels and a 7.1 kWh battery, we calculate conservatively with approximately 65% self-consumption.
Practical example: Solis hybrid inverter + Dyness Tower T7
For this example, we are replacing the existing inverter with a Solis S6-EH3P5K-H-EU 3-phase hybrid inverter and adding a Dyness Tower T7 with 7.1 kWh of usable storage capacity.
| Component | Price incl. VAT |
|---|---|
| Solis S6-EH3P5K-H-EU hybrid inverter | €1,109.57 |
| Dyness Tower T7 (7.1 kWh) | €1,632.29 |
| Total material | €2,741.86 |
| Installation (approx. 3 hours) | approx. €250 – €300 |
| Total including installation | approx. €3,000 – €3,050 |
Because the existing solar panel installation remains in place, the work is relatively limited: removing the existing inverter, installing the hybrid inverter, assembling the battery tower, connecting the battery, installing a smart meter with 3 CT clamps, setting up an Ethernet connection, and programming and testing.
What are the additional benefits of the battery?
Assuming 4,200 kWh of solar generation, a current self-consumption rate of 35%, an increase to approximately 65%, and realistic system losses, the additional self-consumption comes to approximately 1,300 kWh per year. Every additional kilowatt-hour used yourself prevents grid draw and replaces a kilowatt-hour that would otherwise be fed back at a low compensation rate. This creates an additional financial benefit of approximately:
€280 to €320 per year — depending on the consumption profile of the home, the system settings, and the energy contract chosen.
| Annual benefit | Payback period at approx. €3,000 – €3,050 investment |
|---|---|
| €280 | approx. 10.7 – 10.9 years |
| €300 | approx. 10.0 – 10.2 years |
| €320 | approx. 9.4 – 9.5 years |
For this example, the expected payback period is approximately 9.5 to 11 years.
Home batteries are not only purchased for returns
When discussing home batteries, the first topic is often the payback period. Yet in practice, we see that financial savings are increasingly just one part of the decision. The Netherlands is in the middle of an energy transition. Homes are becoming increasingly electrified with heat pumps, charging stations, electric stoves, and smart appliances. This increases not only electricity consumption but also the need for certainty and control over one's own energy supply.
Although the Netherlands still has one of the most reliable electricity grids in Europe, more and more consumers are choosing a home battery with backup functionality — not because they expect regular power outages, but because they value the certainty that important facilities can continue to function in the event of an unexpected failure.
- Lighting
- Refrigerator and freezer
- Internet and Wi-Fi
- Central heating and heat pump controls
- Phone and laptop chargers
- Selected circuits in the home
For many households, this offers extra comfort and peace of mind.
What else can you do?
A home battery is not the only way to increase your self-consumption. You can also use more of your own solar power by making smart use of your appliances and systems.
- Running the washing machine and dishwasher during the day
- Charging your electric car during sunny moments
- Smartly controlling the heat pump using solar energy
- Making use of an energy management system
Households with a heat pump in particular can achieve additional benefits. By allowing the heat pump to work smartly with solar panels, a home battery, and energy management, more of the self-generated solar power is utilized directly — for hot tap water or comfortably cooling the home on hot summer days. This results in additional self-consumption precisely at the times when solar panels produce the most.
This is precisely why smart energy management becomes increasingly important after 2027. A modern hybrid inverter like the Solis S6-EH3P5K-H-EU does much more than just charge and discharge a battery. Thanks to the integrated Solis AI energy management system, the system can take into account the home's energy consumption, weather forecasts, available solar energy, and future developments such as dynamic energy contracts. As a result, energy is not only stored but also used more intelligently at times when it yields the most benefit. A home battery thus becomes not just a storage location for energy, but an active component of the home's energy management.
Conclusion
The end of the net metering scheme does not mean that solar panels lose their value. What is disappearing is primarily the major benefit of feeding power back into the grid. The future of solar energy is therefore shifting increasingly towards direct self-consumption.
A household with 12 solar panels still generates approximately 4,200 kWh per year and saves hundreds of euros per year on the energy bill even without net metering. With a home battery such as the Dyness Tower T7 and a hybrid inverter such as the Solis S6-EH3P5K-H-EU, self-consumption can increase from approximately 35% to approximately 65% — in line with independent research by CE Delft and practical experience from the Dutch market, where self-consumption rates of 60% to 80% are regularly achieved.
The investment of approximately €3,000 – €3,050 including installation results in this example in a realistic payback period of 9.5 to 11 years. In this context, not only the battery plays an important role, but also the intelligence of the system surrounding it. Thanks to modern energy management functions such as Solis AI, a home can handle its own generation, storage, and consumption ever more smartly.
The combination of a Dyness Tower T7 home battery with a Solis S6 hybrid inverter ensures that the installation is not only prepared for the end of the net metering scheme, but is also ready for smart energy control, heat pumps, electric mobility, and future developments in the energy market.
Solar panels remain valuable even after 2027. The difference is that the profit is no longer primarily in feeding power back, but in handling the energy you generate yourself smartly. For many households, a home battery, smart energy management, and a hybrid inverter are therefore the logical next step in the energy transition.