Energy bills are likely to go up by a further €60 a year in 2020 because of higher taxes on gas, according to home owners lobby group VEH in Monday’s Telegraaf.

This year the average Dutch household is paying €334 more a year for gas and electricity following tax increases introduced on January 1, the national statistics office CBS said earlier this year.

Around half of energy bills are now made up of taxes – part of deliberate government strategy to encourage people to reduce gas usage.

In addition, the state-owned national grid network Tennet recently won a court case allowing it to back-date the cost of investments to private households. This too is likely to add to energy bills, the VEH says.

The extra investment is needed to connect solar farms and wind turbines to the national grid.