As long expected, on 14 January 2021 the Constitutional Court annulled the Flemish decree on the reverse counter mechanism. This means that households that installed solar panels before 31 December 2020 can no longer count on up to 15 years' use of the reversing counter in exchange for the 'prosumer tariff'.
We knew that there was a procedure before the Constitutional Court to annul the Flemish decree and insiders knew very well that the arguments of the federal council of ministers, the CREG and the VREG were valid. The previous Flemish government also knew all too well that it was running a risk, as it ignored a very clear advice from the Council of State. Despite several warnings from Zuhal Demir, the competent minister, the rush to solar panels in the rest of 2020 continued. The ruling of the Constitutional Court hit the majority of the 101,000 Flemish families who installed solar panels in 2020 like a bomb. The Flemish government is now working on a compensation mechanism for these families.
Regulating consumption with a smart home battery
Matching your consumption to the production of your solar panels, with or without the compensation that may be forthcoming, is becoming the key to good returns. With a smart home battery from AlphaESS you can achieve this automatically.
Flemish premium for home batteries
In the meantime, there is good news for individuals who want to invest (further) in their own energy transition, and thus in a home battery. In the meantime, the Flemish premium for home batteries was extended until the end of 2021 and the total budget for 2021 was set at 2.2 million EUR. A considerable increase compared to 2020 when the total budget was still 1 million EUR.
So far, the premium has not been an overwhelming success with 29 applications in 2019, and 116 applications in 2020 (situation on 24/11/2020). It is not yet known how many premiums have been definitively granted and paid out, but the average premium amount was 2,283.14 EUR. With the 2.2 million EUR foreseen for 2021, almost 1,000 home batteries could be subsidised. It is expected that this year more than 1,000 battery systems will be placed. It is therefore quite possible that the budget that is currently provided, will be insufficient. When you install a home battery and apply for a subsidy, it is not certain that you will actually receive it. A subsidy will only be granted when your application meets all the conditions and is complete and if there is still a budget left after approval.
Conditions
The conditions for obtaining the Flemish premium for the home battery have hardly changed for 2021 compared to 2020. The only change is the amount that can be charged for the actual costs of installing the digital meter. In 2020 you could charge a maximum of 300 EUR for this, this has now been reduced to a maximum of 88 EUR. This intervention would correspond to the actual cost.
Full information about the conditions and the procedure can be found here here.
Are you planning to buy a home battery, then it's best not to postpone the decision for a long time, if you want to make use of the premium. Our certified installers are perfectly aware of the conditions and the procedure to obtain the premium and will guide you professionally and with pleasure in this process.
