By July 1, 2029, every household and business in Belgium will have a digital meter to monitor energy consumption more closely. Do you now have to call yourself to have the meter installed, or do you leave your analogue meter as long as possible? We weigh the pros and cons.

Let’s clear all doubts right away: a digital energy meter is coming for your business. On May 17, 2019, the Flemish government issued a decree obliging the installation of a digital meter, and the governments of Brussels and Wallonia have also followed suit. Orders from above, because the European Union introduced them to achieve the 2030 climate targets. The digital meters are mainly intended for households and SMEs: there is also the AMR meter system for “large consumers” (the connected load is over 56 kVA).

In principle, you as a customer do not have to do anything. One day you receive an invitation from the network operator Fluvius to install the digital meter. This invitation is not without obligation: If you do not have your analog meter replaced, you risk additional costs and even legal prosecution. Forty refusers have already been fined €273.84, so one warned person counts as two. You can also proactively contact the network manager yourself to have the digital meter installed now. Since January 1, 2023, installation has also been free of charge on request and there are no longer any one-off costs of 88 euros.

With the current energy crisis, companies are paying more attention to their consumption to reduce costs. Does a digital meter offer the solution for this and does your company now have to switch? While having a digital meter has benefits for your business, there are reasons to wait until it needs to be done differently, energy industry experts tell us.

Analog vs digital

How exactly does a digital meter work? Finally, you will receive a digital meter for natural gas and electricity. With electricity meters, a distinction is made between a single-phase and a three-phase connection.

Digital gauges are calibrated in the same way as their analogue predecessors to ensure the accuracy of readings. The big difference is that digital meters immediately send consumption data to Fluvius, which can read it remotely. You no longer have to submit the meter readings every year for the final bill.

Digital meters are designed to help consumers and businesses become more aware of their energy consumption, says Fluvius spokesman Björn Verdoodt. “Other than that one moment a year when meter readings needed to be reported, monitoring energy use used to be much less important. Now it’s much easier and more continuous via the My Fluvius app on your smartphone.”

In the past, people were less concerned with monitoring energy consumption. With digital counters, this can be done much more easily and continuously.

Bjorn Verdoodt, Fluvius

ups and downs

A digital meter provides much more insight into daily energy use, especially where the biggest spikes occur. For gas consumption you get detailed information on an hourly basis, for electricity consumption peaks can even be measured every 15 minutes. Kills explains how this helps lower your consumption.

“Measuring means knowing”, the speaker uses a cliché. “You can see very quickly where your major consumers are and how big the impact of each individual device is on your electricity bill. You can use this data to adjust your personal consumption.”

There are some additional benefits. User ports allow you to connect devices such as a smart thermostat and lights to the meter to build a smart energy network. Energy sharing, in which excess energy is made available to other users in the network, is only possible if you have a digital meter.

The energy supplier can use the data from the meter to calculate the advances more precisely. But does a digital meter actually lower your bill? Alex Polfliet from the energy consulting company Zero Emission Solutions sees this as more of a double-edged sword.

“It is important to know how much, but also when to consume. Since the introduction of the capacity tariff (also applies to SMEs in Flanders since January 1, 2023, editor’s note) Peaks burden the final bill significantly more. With analog meters, the flat rate is significantly lower because the peak power is not recorded. “If you have high consumption spikes, it’s important to look closely at them to know how to avoid them,” says Polfliet.

Solar panels and charging stations

Businesses and individuals with solar panels are not yet ready to install a digital meter. The new system eliminates the “rollback counter” so that excess electricity generated by the solar panels can no longer be parked in the grid.

As a result, solar system owners worry that they will have to pay more if they do not use their electricity immediately. Since 2021 you no longer have a choice when installing new solar panels and still receive a digital meter. Anyone who did this before 2021 can exceptionally refuse the digital meter until 2025.

After a study, the Flemish energy regulator VREG came to the conclusion that this fear was not entirely justified. Sixty percent of solar panel owners will only pay less, and for the other forty percent, the difference to their current bill will be minimal. Sharing or selling the energy back to the utility offers opportunities to make the excess electricity profitable after all. It is important to carefully weigh up consumption and production, says Polfliet.

Another topic that is causing debate is charging stations for electric cars. Charging electric cars inevitably leads to high consumption peaks. Since all company cars must have an electric motor by 2026, companies must invest in the charging infrastructure. Won’t this drive up energy costs even more?

That doesn’t have to be the case, explains Michel Verschuere, CEO of Yuso, which offers green energy services for companies. “We check every day when energy prices are most interesting. From the moment of publication, this data is available to customers via email or via an API. This can be interesting to determine when the charging stations can be switched on.”

“You can put together a formula yourself to make your energy bill as optimal as possible,” Verschuere continues. “Yuso only gives the prices and we leave the rest to the users.”

It is important to know how much, but also when you consume. If you have high peaks, you need to know how to avoid them.

Alex Polfliet, Zero Emission Solutions

Who owns the data?

When new technologies emerge, the privacy debate is never far away. As we have already written, digital meters generate detailed data on the user’s energy consumption. On the website, Fluvius states that the data transmission between the meters takes place via an encrypted route and that the user is in control of the usage data.

Verdoodt makes it clear: “There are very strict laws about what can be done with energy data. Only Fluvius has daily access to the measurements. If the user wants to monitor the consumption per quarter of an hour, he must indicate this via the app. The data can be passed on to third parties, for example to conclude a low-cost energy contract, but only with the express consent of the customer. The customer is always the administrator of his own data.”

Sounds good, although Polfliet has an important caveat here. “You don’t own the digital meter, you just rent it. Consequently, the consumption data is also property of Fluvius. As a customer, you have the right to view this data free of charge and to place an order for it to be passed on to other parties. When you enter into an energy contract, you implicitly give the supplier power of attorney.”

In principle, any technology can be hacked, including a digital meter. Nevertheless, as a customer, you can be sure that your data will be handled with care. Polfliet: “I don’t consider myself an expert when it comes to cyber security, but I have no knowledge of digital meters that have lost customer data.”

Already switched?

The introduction of digital meters is progressing steadily. By 2024, Fluvius aims to have eighty percent of households and SMEs equipped with a digital meter. Five years later, the analog gauge must definitely be a relic of the past.

“With an analogue measuring device, you have less control over what you’re doing,” says Verschuere. “You don’t know what you’re consuming at night and during the day. The rate is then determined based on an average estimate. The result is that you can still do your best to consume at the times when the price is most interesting and end up being charged a more expensive price. The market demands more flexibility, which is why the introduction of digital meters is progressing well.”

“Currently, there is still little knowledge about digital meters among companies for which this is relevant,” emphasizes Polfliet. “As of this year, the installation of the meter is free. Therefore, it may be appropriate to do so now.” Still, some companies may find it advisable to wait a bit longer for the inevitable invitation to arrive. “Those who don’t take care of their energy transition at all are more likely to become victims of the new system because they will be confronted with higher peak costs,” concludes Polfliet.

Do you want to know when your digital meter will be installed? You can use the Fluvius planning checker to determine a target date for when the network operator will be at your door. For this you need the EAN code of your electricity meter. You can find this on your last bill.