A business electricity bill in Belgium is made of the energy price from your supplier, network costs for your grid operator and levies for the government. Your supplier only controls the first part. The other two depend on how many kWh you take from the grid and, in Flanders, on your highest quarter-hour peak. That is where a business battery can help: it lowers the peak, stores your own solar power and moves use to cheaper hours. Whether that pays off depends on your own quarter-hour data, not on an average.
The monthly advance goes up again. Your production did not grow and the machines are the same, yet the invoice is higher. On it you find kWh, kW, a tariff group, a billing peak and a row of levies you never chose. Most businesses react by asking suppliers for a better price per kWh. That helps with one part of the bill, and only that part.
Meanwhile the parts that react to how you use power stay untouched. In Flanders one busy quarter-hour, for example a compressor and the charging vans starting together, sets part of your network cost for a full year. On medium voltage, going above your access power is charged at 150% of the tariff for twelve months. Nobody warns you when it happens. You see it on the next invoices.
A research and education site in Beernem received a monthly electricity invoice of more than 800 euro, with no price drop in sight. It left the grid and now runs on 17 kWp of solar panels, a battery and a back-up generator. Most businesses do not need to go that far. But it shows how much of the bill depends on choices you make yourself.
What is a business electricity bill made of?
A business electricity bill in Belgium has three parts: the energy you buy from your supplier, the network costs of your grid operator and the levies of the federal and regional government. For a VAT-registered business the VAT is normally recoverable, so regulators compare business bills without it. Two of the three parts do not depend on your supplier.
How your use ends up on the bill
| Part of the bill | Who sets it | What it depends on | Can you influence it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | Your supplier. It is the only part open to competition | Your kWh and your contract: fixed, variable or dynamic | Yes: the contract, and when you use power |
| Network costs | Your grid operator (Fluvius, ORES, RESA, AIEG, AIESH or Sibelga), under regulated tariffs | Your kWh and, depending on the region, your peak or the time of use | Yes: your peak and your timing |
| Levies | The federal and regional government | Mostly the MWh you consume, such as the special excise duty | Only by taking fewer kWh from the grid |
| VAT | The federal government | All components | No, but a VAT-registered business normally recovers it |
CREG compared the parts for the first half of 2026. For a household, energy was 38.19% of the electricity bill, network costs 29.86% and levies 26.30%. For an SME the proportions are comparable, but network costs weigh slightly more than levies. So even a very good energy price leaves most of the bill untouched.
Which part of your business electricity bill can you influence?
You can influence three things on a business electricity bill: the price per kWh, the number of kWh you take from the grid, and the height and timing of your peaks. The cheapest kWh is the one that never passes your meter.
The price per kWh
A fixed, variable or dynamic contract. With a dynamic contract the energy price follows the day-ahead market per quarter-hour, while network costs and levies stay due.
The kWh you take from the grid
Solar power you use on site, directly or later from a battery, never shows up as offtake on your meter. So it carries no energy price and no levies on the bill.
Your peaks
In Flanders the capacity tariff bills your highest quarter-hour per month. A lower peak lowers the network part for a year.
Watch out
Some lines do not move, whatever you do: the fixed fee of your supplier, the data management tariff of your grid operator and, in Brussels, the fixed capacity amount per meter size.
How does the capacity tariff affect a business bill in Flanders?
In Flanders the capacity tariff makes your peak part of the network costs of your business. On low voltage you pay per kW of your average monthly peak: the highest quarter-hour of each month, averaged over the last 12 months, with a minimum of 2.5 kW. In 2026 that costs on average about 53.39 euro per kW per year, excluding VAT, and between 49 and 57 euro depending on your grid area.
Only the power you take from the grid counts; injection peaks do not. The network tariffs no longer make a difference between day and night. One busy quarter-hour can raise your network cost for a full year.
On medium voltage, or directly on a distribution cabin, the structure is different. You choose an access power in Mijn Fluvius, and that covers about half of your network costs. Your real monthly peak covers the other half. You can raise the access power every month, but not lower it for twelve months. If your peak goes above it, the excess is charged at 150% of the tariff for twelve months.
How to calculate it on your own data, with worked examples for low and medium voltage, is in our article on the capacity tariff for businesses.
How are businesses billed for electricity in Wallonia and Brussels?
Wallonia and Brussels bill the network costs of a business differently from Flanders. Wallonia works with time periods, Brussels with a fixed capacity amount per meter. In both regions, when you use power matters more than one single peak.
In Wallonia the periods of the bi-hourly network tariff changed on 1 January 2026 for low-voltage users. Off-peak hours now run from 11:00 to 17:00 and from 22:00 to 07:00. Peak hours run from 07:00 to 11:00 and from 17:00 to 22:00, seven days a week. Users with a smart meter can also choose the new IMPACT tariff, meant for those who can shift large loads.
Walloon network periods for low voltage since 2026
Midday is now an off-peak period, exactly when solar panels produce most. Moving use out of the morning and evening peak, or covering it from a battery, fits this structure.
In Brussels, Sibelga has applied a capacity component since 2020. In 2026 it is a fixed amount per year that depends on the power of the meter: 47.24 euro up to 13 kVA and 94.48 euro above 13 kVA. It does not follow your measured peak, so a battery does not change it.
On medium voltage the tariffs differ per grid operator. Ask ORES, RESA, AIEG, AIESH or Sibelga for the tariff sheet of your connection before you calculate any saving. What a peak costs per grid operator is set out in grid tariffs for businesses in Wallonia and Brussels.
Why is my business electricity bill higher when I did not use more?
A business electricity bill can rise without extra use for three reasons: the energy price followed the market, the network costs rose, or one peak raised your capacity cost for a year. Check which part changed before you look for a new supplier.
- The energy price followed the market. In Belgium retail prices are closely linked to the wholesale market. Variable contracts follow it quickly, and fixed offers are adjusted every month (CREG).
- The network costs rose. Transmission and distribution grids have to be modernised and reinforced for the energy transition. In the first half of 2026 CREG saw Belgian network charges rise faster than in the neighbouring countries.
- One peak raised your capacity cost. A new machine, a cold start in winter or new chargers can set a monthly peak that stays in your 12-month average. A double charger of 2 x 22 kW can add up to 44 kW. At about 53 euro per kW that can mean more than 2,300 euro a year, if the peak stays.
Adding chargers? Read how to place EV chargers without a heavier connection first.
Can a battery lower the electricity bill of a business?
A battery can lower the electricity bill of a business on three parts: fewer kWh from the grid, a lower peak and cheaper hours. It pays off when your own profile makes at least two of them count. A battery lowers the parts that depend on your behaviour, never the fixed charges.
| What the battery does | Which part of the bill | When it counts |
|---|---|---|
| Stores your solar surplus and delivers it later | Energy, kWh-based network costs and levies | You inject a lot at midday and buy power back in the evening |
| Covers your peaks (peak shaving) | Network costs: capacity tariff in Flanders, access power on medium voltage | Your peaks are short and predictable, and each kW is expensive |
| Charges at cheap hours and delivers at expensive hours | Energy, with a dynamic contract | The price spread is large and charging does not create a new peak |
| Keeps critical loads running during an outage | None on the bill, but it avoids downtime | You need back-up power anyway |
Read more on each lever: peak shaving battery, a battery with a dynamic contract and what to do with an injection limit.
A dairy farm in Londerzeel went further. It runs part of the site semi-off-grid on solar panels, a wind turbine and a battery. On the off-grid part there are no more taxes or invoices to pay.
Our verdict
On a small low-voltage connection with few peaks, no solar panels and a fixed contract, a battery rarely pays off on the bill alone. It becomes interesting when two or more of these come together: an expensive peak, a solar surplus, a dynamic contract, the need for back-up power, or a heavier connection you want to avoid.
Working with us starts from your data, not from a brochure. You send your quarter-hour values from Mijn Fluvius or your grid operator, your recent invoices and your plans. Our engineering office sizes the battery on that data. After installation you follow consumption per phase and the battery in the app.
Not sure which part of your bill a battery would lower? Call us or send your quarter-hour data.
What should you check on your business electricity bill first?
Check five things on your business electricity bill before you change supplier or buy anything. Together they show which part of the bill you can actually move.
- Step 1: Find your peak. In Flanders your digital meter shows the highest monthly peak under code 1.6.0, and Mijn Fluvius shows your peaks per month.
- Step 2: Look at your quarter-hour data. Download it from Mijn Fluvius and see when the peaks happen: which machines, which days, which hours. Large consumers can also simulate their access power there.
- Step 3: Check your contract. Is it fixed, variable or dynamic, and when does it end? SMEs that use up to 100 MWh a year can switch supplier free of charge at any time.
- Step 4: Check your injection. How much solar power do you inject, at what price, and at which hours? A surplus can also go to a neighbouring company: see how energy sharing between businesses works.
- Step 5: Compare the levers. Only then weigh a new contract, shifting use, peak control or a battery against each other. Include the tax side too: see which subsidies and tax deductions apply to a business battery.
Frequently asked questions
What do businesses pay per kWh in Belgium?
There is no single price, because the total depends on your contract, your grid area and your peak. Compare offers on the full cost per kWh, including network costs and levies. For reference, CREG found that in June 2026 a household paid 35.22% more per MWh than an SME.
Is electricity at night still cheaper for a business?
Not automatically. In Flanders the network tariffs no longer distinguish day and night. On the wholesale market, the average day-ahead price in 2025 was 90.6 euro per MWh between 20:00 and 08:00, against 74.5 euro between 08:00 and 20:00 (CREG). In Wallonia, midday has been an off-peak network period since 2026.
Do you pay network costs on the solar power you inject?
In Flanders, installations up to and including 10 kVA pay no network tariff on injection. Above 10 kVA a small injection tariff applies. Your supplier pays you for the power you inject according to your contract.
Is electricity expensive for businesses in Belgium?
The energy part is. In June 2026 the pure energy component for an SME was the most expensive among Belgium and its neighbours Germany, France and the Netherlands, according to CREG.
My electricity bill peaks heavily: can a battery system for an SME lower it?
Often, if the peaks are short and come from a few machines or chargers starting together. A battery then delivers the extra power above a limit you set, so the meter sees a lower peak. If the high use lasts for hours every day, a battery alone is usually too small and a heavier connection or another setup fits better.
Want to know which part of your bill a battery can lower?
Send us your quarter-hour data and your last invoices. One of our engineers will tell you honestly which lines on your bill a battery would lower, and which it would not.
Sources
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