Changes to the way solar panel owners are paid for the electricity they feed back into the grid will mean some households will receive just a few euros a year, according to some energy companies.

Innova Energie, for example, has calculated that households could receive as little as €8 a year when the new system comes into force in 2027, the Telegraaf reported on Wednesday.

Until 2027, households can deduct the value of the surplus energy they feed back into the grid from their regular energy bills, with a kilowatt-hour deduction for costs. Under the new system, consumers will be paid directly for each kilowatt hour of surplus electricity, minus the same costs.

In March, Greenchoice issued a similar warning, saying the charges will largely cancel out the compensation solar panel owners receive. Providers will pay 5.184 cents per kWh from January 2027, and charge 5.184 kWh in costs, leading to a net payment of 0.25 cents per kWh, Greenchoice said.

The changes will extend the time it takes to recoup the cost of installing solar panels from around six years to more than 20, experts have calculated.

Energy advice group Milieu Centraal says households can limit the impact by using more of their own electricity and installing a home battery to store surplus energy instead.

Several legal challenges are also being prepared by consumer groups, who argue that the change amounts to a breach of contract. One initiative, salderingsclaim.nl, already has almost 150,000 people signed up, the Telegraaf said.