Thanks to the capacity rate, families no longer pay the costs for the power cables under the sidewalk or on electricity poles based on their consumption (kWh), but mainly based on the peaks in their consumption (kW). Energy regulator Vreg hoped to encourage them to use the electricity grid more efficiently, so that less investment is needed in additional cables.
This has also been successful, according to an initial evaluation by grid operator Fluvius. Flemish families use the electricity grid 8.3 percent more efficiently than a year ago, the grid operator calculated.
Efficiency is seen as the ratio between effective consumption (in kWh) and the highest peak in kW per customer. Families that can combine higher consumption with a relatively lower power peak are considered more efficient. This can be compared to a family that uses the same amount of water, but opens the tap less widely.
The figures show that families with a high consumption peak – above 5 kW – have adjusted their consumption. Their consumption has become 13.6 percent more efficient. In most cases, this concerns families with an electric car, electric heating or a heat pump.
“That group will continue to grow in the coming years and will therefore have more impact on the electricity grid,” Fluvius says in a press release. “For example, charging electric cars can be done without loss of comfort by doing so sufficiently spread out.”
Families with an average consumption peak also use the grid 5.1 percent more efficiently. Here this is probably the result of choices to avoid peak consumption during the evening peak hours, for example by not switching on all electrical appliances – hob, dryer, dishwasher – at the same time.
Too early for evaluation
For customers with a low consumption peak, below 3 kW, the picture is less clear. The majority of customers in that group have increased both their peak and consumption in 2023, with large differences depending on the month. This is a diverse group, ranging from families who cook with gas to people with a second home.
Fluvius estimates that the latter group will become smaller as electrification for transport and heating increases. It is still very important for the grid operator that the electricity grid is used as efficiently as possible, because additional investments in electricity cables and cabins are even more expensive.
The grid operator believes it is still too early to make a definitive evaluation of the capacity rate. “There are several factors that have had an impact on peak consumption: temperature changes, the increasing share of solar panels and the lower electricity price,” the grid operator believes. Fluvius calculates the pure effect of the capacity rate at 3.9 percent in network efficiency gained (from 8.3 percent).
In the meantime, consideration is already being given to a further evolution of the capacity rate, whereby the amount of the distribution costs would depend on the moment at which you purchase electricity. But in order to be able to present certain results, Fluvius requires more time. “In any case, such a rate must be simple enough, and sufficient time must be allocated to it, also to be able to communicate clearly to customers.”